Exclusive: Dubai-based management and production company 75East has signed Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel, whose narrative feature debut To A Land Unknown is playing in Directors’ Fortnight this year.
75East, was launched last December by former Mister Smith sales executive Antone Saliba under the banner Untamed Talent with a focus on the Swana region (South West Asia and North Africa), and has recently rebranded.
The only Palestinian feature in Cannes this year, To A Land Unknown tells the story of the desperate attempts of two Palestinian cousins stranded in Athens to find a way to reach Germany.
Chatila and Reda are saving to pay for fake passports to get out of Athens. When Reda loses their hard-earned cash to his drug addiction, Chatila hatches an extreme plan, which involves them posing as smugglers and taking hostages in an effort to get him and his best friend out of their hopeless environment before it is too late.
75East, was launched last December by former Mister Smith sales executive Antone Saliba under the banner Untamed Talent with a focus on the Swana region (South West Asia and North Africa), and has recently rebranded.
The only Palestinian feature in Cannes this year, To A Land Unknown tells the story of the desperate attempts of two Palestinian cousins stranded in Athens to find a way to reach Germany.
Chatila and Reda are saving to pay for fake passports to get out of Athens. When Reda loses their hard-earned cash to his drug addiction, Chatila hatches an extreme plan, which involves them posing as smugglers and taking hostages in an effort to get him and his best friend out of their hopeless environment before it is too late.
- 5/21/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Amazon has acquired world rights for Beirut-set dramedy series Self Modulation from producers Falcon Films and Arna Media, in its first ever Arabic TV series acquisition.
The series is the first project in a multi-show deal partly financed by Arna Media, which plans to invest in two projects annually with Falcon Films.
It is produced by Sobhi Sannan, Rami Sannan and Raed Sannan for Dubai and Beirut-based Falcon Films and Nadezda Motina and Aram Hovhannisyan for Moscow-based Arna Media. The ten-part, 50-minute episode series will air in Q2 2024.
The show follows Ahmad, a Syrian man living illegally in Lebanon whose life takes a dramatic turn after witnessing a tragic event. As he navigates his way through a job at a suicide hotline centre, Ahmad’s dreams of fame and recognition lead him down a path of deception and destruction.
The cast features Maxim Khalil, Carole El Hajj, Foad Yammine, Natasha Choufani, Leen Gherra and Abbas Al Nouri.
The series is written by Foad Yammine, Rami Awad and director Mayar Al Nouri, who makes his television directing debut.
“I am thrilled to collaborate with Nadezda Motina on this extraordinary project. When I introduced the concept to Arna Media, they were captivated by its originality, particularly as no similar project has been undertaken, especially within the Middle East region,” said Falcon Films Managing Director Rami Sannan.
“We are eagerly anticipating the imminent release of the series on Amazon and are eager to hear the audience’s response. From the outset, our goal has been to showcase our capability to produce content with global appeal, reaching audiences beyond the Middle East.”
Arna Media President Motina said the project had been born out of long-standing professional relationship with Sannan.
“When I decided to invest in a series for the Middle East market, I could not think of a better partner. I was sure he could create a unique product which will appeal to local and global players. When you see it, you may think this is A24 in Middle East,” said Arna Media President Nadezda Motina.
Falcon Films is an independent production and distribution company working across the Middle East.
To date it has produced more than 15 local films and five series, including for Downtown, which played on Jawwy Stc; 8 Days for Mbc Shahid, and The Chamber, which debuted on Starzplay Arabia.
On the theatrical front, the company is gearing up for the summer releases of Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 & 2 and A Weekend In Taipei, produced by Luc Besson.
The series is the first project in a multi-show deal partly financed by Arna Media, which plans to invest in two projects annually with Falcon Films.
It is produced by Sobhi Sannan, Rami Sannan and Raed Sannan for Dubai and Beirut-based Falcon Films and Nadezda Motina and Aram Hovhannisyan for Moscow-based Arna Media. The ten-part, 50-minute episode series will air in Q2 2024.
The show follows Ahmad, a Syrian man living illegally in Lebanon whose life takes a dramatic turn after witnessing a tragic event. As he navigates his way through a job at a suicide hotline centre, Ahmad’s dreams of fame and recognition lead him down a path of deception and destruction.
The cast features Maxim Khalil, Carole El Hajj, Foad Yammine, Natasha Choufani, Leen Gherra and Abbas Al Nouri.
The series is written by Foad Yammine, Rami Awad and director Mayar Al Nouri, who makes his television directing debut.
“I am thrilled to collaborate with Nadezda Motina on this extraordinary project. When I introduced the concept to Arna Media, they were captivated by its originality, particularly as no similar project has been undertaken, especially within the Middle East region,” said Falcon Films Managing Director Rami Sannan.
“We are eagerly anticipating the imminent release of the series on Amazon and are eager to hear the audience’s response. From the outset, our goal has been to showcase our capability to produce content with global appeal, reaching audiences beyond the Middle East.”
Arna Media President Motina said the project had been born out of long-standing professional relationship with Sannan.
“When I decided to invest in a series for the Middle East market, I could not think of a better partner. I was sure he could create a unique product which will appeal to local and global players. When you see it, you may think this is A24 in Middle East,” said Arna Media President Nadezda Motina.
Falcon Films is an independent production and distribution company working across the Middle East.
To date it has produced more than 15 local films and five series, including for Downtown, which played on Jawwy Stc; 8 Days for Mbc Shahid, and The Chamber, which debuted on Starzplay Arabia.
On the theatrical front, the company is gearing up for the summer releases of Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 & 2 and A Weekend In Taipei, produced by Luc Besson.
- 4/11/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Untamed Talent, a management and production company led by former Mister Smith Entertainment executive Antone Saliba, is launching with the backing of Dubai-based Front Row Productions, a joint venture of leading Middle East distribution companies Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Empire Entertainment.
Front Row Productions will provide capital and strategic value to support Untamed Talent’s goals to innovate new business models covering the South West Asia and North Africa region, the fastest-growing entertainment market in the world. The focus will be not only on representing filmmakers from established Middle East industry hubs of Egypt and Saudi, it will also identify, develop and promote talent from traditionally underrepresented countries within the region such as Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey and Iran.
Untamed will work on a non-exclusive basis with all production and distribution parties in the region, as well as U.S. and international studios and streamers to maximize opportunities for its clients.
Front Row Productions will provide capital and strategic value to support Untamed Talent’s goals to innovate new business models covering the South West Asia and North Africa region, the fastest-growing entertainment market in the world. The focus will be not only on representing filmmakers from established Middle East industry hubs of Egypt and Saudi, it will also identify, develop and promote talent from traditionally underrepresented countries within the region such as Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey and Iran.
Untamed will work on a non-exclusive basis with all production and distribution parties in the region, as well as U.S. and international studios and streamers to maximize opportunities for its clients.
- 12/1/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
‘Hajjan’ director Abu Bakr Shawky and ‘Theeb’ producer’ Bassel Ghandour on initial clint roster.
Untamed Talent, a new management and production company led by former Mister Smith Entertainment executive Antone Saliba, has launched with the backing of Dubai-based Front Row Productions and unveiled its first roster of clients.
The firm will represent filmmakers from the established Middle East industry hubs of Egypt and Saudi as well as promoting talent from more underrepresented countries in South West Asia and North Africa such as Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Iran.
Front Row Productions, a joint venture of leading Middle East distribution...
Untamed Talent, a new management and production company led by former Mister Smith Entertainment executive Antone Saliba, has launched with the backing of Dubai-based Front Row Productions and unveiled its first roster of clients.
The firm will represent filmmakers from the established Middle East industry hubs of Egypt and Saudi as well as promoting talent from more underrepresented countries in South West Asia and North Africa such as Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Iran.
Front Row Productions, a joint venture of leading Middle East distribution...
- 12/1/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Former Mister Smith Entertainment exec Antone Saliba is spearheading a newly launched management and production company focused on the Middle East and the South West Asia and North Africa (Swana) region.
Untamed Entertainment, unveiled from the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, comes with backing from Dubai-based Front Row Productions, the joint venture between distribution companies Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Empire Entertainment.
Alongside representing filmmakers from the established Middle East industry hubs of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Untamed aims to identify, develop, and promote talent from traditionally underrepresented countries within the region, such as Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Iran. It plans to work on a non-exclusive basis with all production and distribution parties in the region, as well as U.S. and international studios and streamers.
The company’s opening roster of clients includes an impressive mix of critically acclaimed writers and directors, including Palme d...
Untamed Entertainment, unveiled from the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, comes with backing from Dubai-based Front Row Productions, the joint venture between distribution companies Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Empire Entertainment.
Alongside representing filmmakers from the established Middle East industry hubs of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Untamed aims to identify, develop, and promote talent from traditionally underrepresented countries within the region, such as Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Iran. It plans to work on a non-exclusive basis with all production and distribution parties in the region, as well as U.S. and international studios and streamers.
The company’s opening roster of clients includes an impressive mix of critically acclaimed writers and directors, including Palme d...
- 12/1/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Former Mister Smith sales executive Antone Saliba has launched management and production company Untamed Talent, with the backing of Dubai-based Front Row Productions.
The latter company, which is a joint venture of leading Middle East distribution companies Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Empire Entertainment, will provide capital and strategic value for the new banner.
Saliba, who was a sales and acquisitions executive under David Garrett at Mister Smith, wants to create new content business models for the fast-growing entertainment sectors of the Swana region, covering Southwest Asia and North Africa.
As well as representing filmmakers from the established Mena industry hubs of Egypt and Saudi, the new company will also identify, develop, and promote talent from traditionally underrepresented countries within the region such as Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey and Iran.
The company will work on a non-exclusive basis with production and distribution parties in the region, as well as U.
The latter company, which is a joint venture of leading Middle East distribution companies Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Empire Entertainment, will provide capital and strategic value for the new banner.
Saliba, who was a sales and acquisitions executive under David Garrett at Mister Smith, wants to create new content business models for the fast-growing entertainment sectors of the Swana region, covering Southwest Asia and North Africa.
As well as representing filmmakers from the established Mena industry hubs of Egypt and Saudi, the new company will also identify, develop, and promote talent from traditionally underrepresented countries within the region such as Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey and Iran.
The company will work on a non-exclusive basis with production and distribution parties in the region, as well as U.
- 12/1/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
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