Russian cinema enters the TV market of the UAE and the Middle East

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From 17 to 19 May 2022, Dubai will host the DISCOP DUBAI television content market, an industrial platform that brings together key players from the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa).

28 Russian companies producing films, series and animation will present their projects on the market; twelve of them are available offline at the joint Russian Content Worldwide booth organized by ROSKINO with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.

The previous experience of interaction of Russian companies with the MENA market and a number of successful transactions in this region have shown the great interest of the Middle East audience in Russian content and the potential for further cooperation. More than 80 buyers from the UAE, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon, Tunisia participate in the DISCOP DUBAI market – those countries where today the Russian industry sees opportunities both for export and for joint initiatives.

All Media (a START company), CTB, Vodorod, VGTRK, Digital Television, online cinemas Kinopoisk, IVI, START, RUSSIAN film company, representatives of the animation industry will present their projects at the Russian Content Worldwide booth. Soyuzmultfilm, Riki Group of Companies, Platoshka Studio.

Also, international representatives will be able to get acquainted with the products of other Russian content producers within the print and digital catalog: Central Partnership, Art Pictures Distribution, Mars Media Entertainment, 1-2-3 Production, STAR MEDIA, Russian World Vision, KION, Odin-Media, Igmar, Sreda production company, Rock studio, Channel Five, NTV, KINOLEND, PRAD-media, Parovoz animation studio.

The main focus of Russian companies will be on series of different genres (dramas, comedies, thrillers, historical) and animation – such content is popular in the MENA region. Also in the catalog of projects are feature films, mainly action, comedies, sports dramas, fantasy and sci-fi thrillers. A number of companies will bring documentaries to the Middle East as well.

“The large-scale geography of DISCOP DUBAI market participants – from the United Arab Emirates to Algeria and Turkey – allows us to count on the effectiveness of the presentation of Russian content and new business contacts necessary for active promotion in the MENA region,” said Olga Lyubimova, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation. – I am sure that among more than 120 projects of Russian companies, representatives of the industry of the Middle East and North Africa will be able to choose content that is interesting for the audience of these regions. Films, series and animation under the Russian Content Worldwide brand will open up new facets of Russian culture and worldview for local viewers. DISCOP DUBAI is not only a business platform, but also an important event in terms of strengthening the international cultural dialogue between Russia and the countries of the Middle East and North Africa.”

ROSKINO General Director Inna Shalyto said that participation in the DISCOP DUBAI market is in line with the new strategy for the international promotion of Russian content. This is already the second organized visit of the industry under the single brand Russian Content Worldwide to the UAE – this country is a major hub in the Middle East: distributors are concentrated here, purchasing content for the entire MENA region.

More than 400 million audience in the Middle East and North Africa are potential viewers of our films, series, animation, documentaries. The entire range of content will be presented by Russian companies at the Russian Content Worldwide booth. Considering Russia’s growing presence in the MENA region and the record level of trade with the UAE in 2021, it can be expected that the creative industries and cinema from Russia will also contribute to the development of non-primary exports to this market in the near term.

Hydrogen Film Company will present to international buyers a new biographical drama The Lord of the Wind, dedicated to the round-the-world flight of the famous traveler Fyodor Konyukhov in a hot air balloon – he completed it in 2016 in 11 days and set a world record. The adventure film will be released in Russia in December this year. In the title role – Fyodor Bondarchuk, who also acted as one of the producers of the picture.

Russian online cinemas will be widely represented, with market leaders IVI and Kinopoisk participating for the first time as part of the combined stand of Russian Content Worldwide in the MENA region. IVI presents four serial projects – these are the comedies “Tenderness”, “Lucky” “Hello again! “and the new crime drama” Chimera “, which is scheduled for release in September 2022.

Kinopoisk will show a novelty – the series Immunity, which tells about the first major outbreak of HIV in the USSR, the premiere will take place on the service on May 19. Also in the package “Kinopoisk” – a film in the genre of historical fantasy “Eterna. Part 1”. Among the series of the START video service are the second season of the mystical drama “Passengers”, the new original dramedy “Kristina”, the thriller “Mediator”, the comedies “Vampires of the Middle Band” and “IP Pirogov”.

The VGTRK company and its official content distributor Sovteleexport, which has been successfully cooperating with industry representatives on the territory of MENA for many years, will present a new historical project of the Rossiya TV channel – the Elizaveta series, which takes place in 1725.

Historical dramas produced by VGTRK are in great demand abroad. The series “Catherine” was sold to 104 countries, and “Elizabeth” has every chance to break this record. Also, buyers will have the opportunity to get acquainted for the first time with the series “Transcript of Fate” and the documentary film “Yamal. Protected area.

In the animation segment, Russian companies will show both full-length films and animated series to international buyers. CTB Film Company will present a novelty – animated full-length musical “Barboskin Dance”, based on the popular TV series “Barboskins” about a cheerful family: mom, dad and five puppies.

Another new project – “Maracuda” – tells about ancient times, the tribal era. In addition to animation, the CTB catalog includes a new TV series about teenagers, Scars. This is a melodrama about the loneliness faced after a tragedy and the importance of love and friendship in moving on.

The company noted that their projects are relevant to the MENA market and meet the needs of the local audience. On the DISCOP DUBAI market, CTB Film Company also plans to explore co-production opportunities for its new serial projects in various genres.

The Soyuzmultfilm film studio at DISCOP DUBAI relies on the following animated series: Secrets of the Honey Valley, The Adventures of Petya and the Wolf, Claudel Links, Monsiki, Prostokvashino. The company believes that these projects will be well received in the MENA market, since the content, in addition to entertainment, is also educational in nature, and is also universal, suitable for different target audiences, and talks about family values ​​and friendship. Representatives of Soyuzmultfilm also emphasized that the projects are adapted to the local market and are offered to local players in classical Arabic.

Riki Group will present its popular animated series Fixies, Tim and Tom, Little Boys, Bodo Borodo, as well as the latest feature film Finnick – the project has already been sold to more than 30 countries. In Russia, Finnick was released theatrically on March 24 and stayed in first place for 4 weeks: during this time, the film was watched by more than 1.6 million viewers. As part of the market, the company intends to complete negotiations on theatrical distribution of Finnick in the Middle East and Turkey.

Animation Studio “Platoshka” focuses on the first season of the TV series “Tsvetnyashki” (for an audience of 0-5 years old). This June, the series is scheduled to be dubbed into Chinese and English. Representatives of the studio expect that the animated series will be in demand due to the elements of edutainment (game training). Also on the market, the studio will present a project in the development of “Used Cat” for an audience of 3-5 years.