After becoming a prime Middle East hub for Hollywood and Bollywood productions Abu Dhabi is raising its rebate on film and TV productions and is at the Mipcom TV market looking to lure more business to the United Arab Emirates capital and the surrounding area.
The Abu Dhabi Film Commission has announced they are upping their existing 30% rebate to more than 35% of qualified below-the-line spend starting in January 2025. The move is a first step of a broader “enhancement across all of the the creative industry verticals” in the Emirates capital, said Mohamed Dobay – acting director general of Abu Dhabi’s Creative Media Authority (CMA) that oversees the film commission – “to ensure an even more attractive offering for as thriving industry,” he added.
Dobai, in an interview, told Variety that Abu Dhabi’s previously announced world class studio facility named twofour54 Studios which comprises soundstages, an exterior water tank, and six versatile standing sets, will be “ready within a year.” Meanwhile, they are “looking at building our crew base,” he said, noting that there are more than 1,000 freelancers that are licensed by the CMA to work in production.
Since Abu Dhabi in 2013 introduced its innovative rebate scheme that is combined with no hassle paperwork and logistical assistance, the film commission has supported more than 150 productions, serving as an exterior location for portions of Hollywood franchises such as “Dune,” “Star Wars” and “Fast and Furious.” Besides Hollywood shoots, the city and its surrounding Liwa desert and oasis have also attracted Bollywood blockbuster productions including “Bharat” and “Tiger Zinda Hai.”
“From an economic perspective the money we’ve spent on the rebate [over the past decade] has had an economic multiplier effect of roughly three times the investment,” said Abu Dhabi Film Commission chief Sameer Al Jaberi, adding that, besides fostering a local media industry, attracting Hollywood and Bollywood productions has also been good for tourism.
Al Jaberi said details of the increased more than 35% rebate such as its exact percentage, and whether it will have a cap, will be announced closer to its Jan. 1, 2025, kick off.
The robust Abu Dhabi contingent that has made the trek to Mipcom comprises Dobai, Al Jaberi, top executives from state-owned media and production hub twofour54 Abu Dhabi and other media industry partners.
Dobai and Al Jaberi both underlined that, despite security concerns due to mounting tensions in the region, Abu Dhabi retains it long-standing ranking as the world’s safest city, according to multiple indexes. They said there are currently lots of regional and international productions shooting there, though they declined to specify which ones, citing non disclosure agreements.
The most recent Hollywood shoot that has been announced is r “Dune: Part Two,” which spent almost a month shooting in the Liwa Oasis that provided a substantial portion of the landscape of the desert planet Arrakis, home to the monstrous sandworms.
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- Source of information and images “variety ““
