September 4, 2024
Netflix has partnered with the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture for a new pan-regional initiative that will provide ongoing training and development for emerging Arab women filmmakers to foster the next generation of female talent in the film industry across Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Jordan, and Kuwait.
The program, Women in Film – Bring Your Story to Life, is part of Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity grant and the global streaming entertainment giant’s efforts to develop the next generation of talent pipeline of filmmakers in the African continent.
In July, it partnered with South Africa’s Wits University to support students in the film and TV department at the Wits School of Arts.
The new pan-regional program with AFAC will work with up to 25 emerging filmmakers and new talents to collaborate on a group project under the guidance of industry mentors.
Each group will develop a short fiction film with a $25,000 budget provided to bring their stories to life. This comprehensive program includes script virtual consultation and pre-shoot planning, followed by in-person editing and post-production support sessions in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking about the joint partnership, Nuha Al Tayeb, Netflix Content Director for Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey in a statement said the new initiative further underscores Netflix’s unfettered strong commitment to amplifying the voices of women in the region and support for authentic storytelling as well as developing the region’s talent pipeline. Nurturing this talent pipeline and the streaming services company’s “long-standing partnership with AFAC, she noted “has uncovered a generation of promising Arab talent, and we are dedicated to ensuring that women are represented both on and off camera.”
The company said the initiative will offer upcoming female talent under 28 who have directed no more than one short film outside of their studies an opportunity to showcase their unique voices.
Last year through its ‘Because She Created’ initiatives, Netflix and AFAC launched a training program to introduce emerging female talent to the creative filmmaking process and the various roles women can play behind the camera.
AFAC: Executive Director Rima Mismar, said the new partnership with Netflix allows AFAC to expand its resources and support, including financial support with mentorship and accompaniment to more filmmakers through its platform for learning and experimenting for emerging women filmmakers.
AFAC has suppurted filmmakers and artists for the past 18 years, contributing to the production of more than 500 films
