The Berlin International Film Festival, which is being hosted from 7-17 February, 2019, brings together various film partners from across MENA to work towards promoting Arab cinema on international shores.
History was made at the 69th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival on February 12 as the European Film Market – EFM saw the largest collection of Saudi short films showcased at its market screenings at the Marriott Studio. The occasion is also special for the Arab Cinema Centre which celebrates its fifth anniversary along with 20 of its partners from various film organisations and international film festivals. ACC launched in 2015 at the festival.
The partners who have accompanied the ACC to the Berlinale are: Arab Film & Media Institute (AFMI) (USA), Arab Radio & Television (ART) (Saudi Arabia), Art City For Cinema and TV Production (Iraq), Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) (Egypt), Centre National du Cinema et de L’image (CNCI) (Tunisia), Eventival (Czech Republic), Festival Ciné Palestine (FCP) (France), Film Clinic (Egypt), FilmLab: Palestine (FLP) (Palestine), Lagoonie Film Production (Egypt), MAD Solutions (Egypt-UAE), Malaga Film Festival (Spain), Malmö Arab Film Festival (MAFF) (Sweden), Rotana Group (Saudi Arabia-Egypt), Rowad Media (Saudi Arabia), The Imaginarium Films (Jordan), The Producers (Egypt), The Royal Film Commission-Jordan (RFC) (Jordan), Tripoli Film Festival (Lebanon), and WIKA For Film Production and Distribution (Egypt).
Alongside the release of the 10th edition of the Arab Cinema Magazine, ACC has also announced the launch of a special section that offers details on the Arab movie theater industry, including box-office statistics and the biggest movie theater chains. Besides, the new issue features an entire section covering everything about the upcoming edition of the Annual Critics Awards and the jury that is joined by new members, bringing 76 film critics from 34 countries together.
The Arab Cinema Center will give the Arab Cinema Personality of The Year award to Screenwriter and Producer Mohamed Hefzy, President of the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF). The award comes as part of the ACC’s strategy of promoting the Arab film industry internationally and supporting Arab filmmakers.
ACC is an international promotional platform for Arab cinema as it provides the filmmaking industry with a professional window to connect with their counterparts from all over the world through a number of events that it organises. It also provides networking opportunities with representatives of companies and institutions specialised in co-production and international distribution, among others. ACC’s activities vary between film market main wings, introduction and networking sessions for Arab and foreign filmmakers, welcome parties, as well as meetings with international organizations and festivals
The ACC also launched an English-language Arab Cinema Guide, available on its website, which is a comprehensive cinematic guide that comprises a variety of tools presented collectively for the first time to offer information on Arab cinema to filmmakers inside and outside of the Arab world. It also aims to facilitate filmmakers’ access to international markets and help film industry representatives to easily identify Arab film productions.
The Arab Cinema Center has also announced the launch of the MAD 3ARABI (Arab Flow) in Prague, Czech Republic. The festival aims to introduce Arab culture and focus on the film and TV industry, while also providing an extension for Arab filmmakers and content creators in the entertainment industry to reach new shores.
