Emirati feature film Fan of Amoory will represent UAE in official competitions across six international film festivals.
Written and directed by Amer Salmeen Al Murry, and featuring an all-Emirati cast, the Cinema Vision Films production made its international festival debut at the inaugural Arab Film Festival in Paris in July 2018.
Over the next 12 months, it will also compete in the Jagran Film Festival in India, the Malmo Arab Film Festival in Sweden, the Oran International Arabic Film Festival in Algeria, the Rolan International Film Festival for Children and Youth in Armenia, and Egypt’s Alexandria Film Festival.
“We are thrilled that Fan of Amoory will be seen by such a prestigious international audience. We have always championed the creation of quality Arabic content as it is an important part of our mission to build a thriving and sustainable media industry in Abu Dhabi,” said Maryam Eid Al Mheiri, CEO of Media Zone Authority, Abu Dhabi and twofour54, in a statement.
She continued: “I hope their success inspires many more talented UAE nationals to bring stories from our region to the world.”
Al Murry, who also produced the movie, said he was excited about the film’s international run.
“I am delighted that Fan of Amoory has been selected to compete in these international film festivals. It’s testament to the quality of the film, its storyline and the hard work of the wonderful cast, crew, and the support of twofour54,” he said. “Film is an immensely powerful medium because it offers viewers a window into new worlds and different perspectives. We hope that Fan of Amoory transports our culture to others around the world and they see our beautiful cities and landscape.”
Fan of Amoory was released across cinemas in the UAE in February starring Mansoor Al Fili, Alaa Shaker and Abdullah Bin Haydar.
The film tells the story of a young boy who is a big fan of UAE football favourite Omar Abdul Rahman, widely known as Amoory. The production follows the child as he overcomes numerous challenges to realize his dream of becoming a professional football player.
According to its makers, Fan of Amoory benefited from Abu Dhabi Film Commission’s 30 per cent cash-back rebate on production spend.
Sources: Gulf News and YouTube
It is probably no exaggeration to say the past year has been the most momentous year in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s history with the announcement of a wide range of social reforms – boosting entertainment and allowing women to drive, to take effect in 2018.
In December 2017, Saudi Arabia lifted a 35-year ban on commercial theaters as part of the country’s 2030 vision (stamped by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman) to modernize and move the country forward. Four months after, in April 2018 we witnessed the launch of Saudi Arabia’s first cinema in over three decades (operated by AMC Entertainment), which was followed by the launch of a 4 screen VOX Cinemas at Riyadh Park Mall – featuring an IMAX screen, 2 VOX Kids screens and 1 VIP screen.
As the official cinema advertising partner of VOX Cinemas, Motivate Val Morgan received an overwhelming response from advertisers within hours of the cinema chain launching in the Kingdom. The first advertisers to book on-screen ads through Motivate Val Morgan were Hotels Combined, Chevrolet, GMC, Emirates Airlines, Homecentre and Cartier, to name a few.
On 24th June 2018 followed the end of a decades-long ban on women driving – enabling women (18 years of age and older) to apply for a driver’s license.
For the vast majority of women in the kingdom, the move allowing them to drive represents a new dawn, offering greater freedom of mobility, access to wider job opportunities, and the reclamation of rights.
Timing their cinema campaigns with the lifting of the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia were Audi and Hyundai.
Audi
To mark the monumental day in history, in which woman in Saudi Arabia got into the driver’s seat for the first time ever, Audi created this gripping and inspirational video.
Audi booked a 1-week on-screen campaign to play on all screens of VOX Cinemas – Riyadh Park Mall from 28th June to 4th July 2018.
Hyundai
Hyundai’s #whatsnext campaign is a message from people all over the world, welcoming the women of Saudi Arabia behind the wheel.
Hyundai booked a 6-week on-screen campaign to play on all screens of VOX Cinemas – Riyadh Park Mall from 5th July to 15th August 2018.
An amalgamation where a once banned and re-established medium, screens an advertisement welcoming a deeply symbolic move to put women back in the driver’s seat!
Have a tactical campaign you would like to execute on cinema screens in Saudi Arabia?
Contact a member of our sales team for more information.
Sources: Al Arabia (English), Gulf News, Gulf Business and YouTube (YallaMotor)
VOX Cinemas announced that they will operate for 24 hours every weekend for the rest of the summer – starting Thursday 12th July 2018.
The new all-day programme will be available at selected VOX locations in the UAE, which include Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Deira and City Centre Mirdif, and will not include movies for children.
This is not the first time the UAE has screened movies for 24 hours, but this will be the first time that it is a regular event, taking place over the entire weekend.
The good news:
Moviegoers
You can choose to spend the wee hours of your mornings shrinking into small size watching Ant-Man and the Wasp, turning up the heat with Dwayne Johnson watching Skyscraper, being at the helm of the heist watching Ocean’s 8 or grooving to the music of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
Check out what to watch and when to see it over on the VOX Cinemas website.
Advertisers
With the cinemas at Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Deira and City Centre Mirdif open 24 hours over the weekends, advertisers will benefit from more spots, at no extra cost!
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to attract extra exposure during the summer of 2018.
Sources: Gulf Business, Gulf News and The National
The Mission: Impossible franchise is the fine wine of action series – it only gets better with age.
It’s been over two decades since we first saw Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) drop down into the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, and each of the five Mission: Impossible films has brought something entirely new and exciting to the table.
May it be an awesome new stunt or a crazy new villain, each and every installment in this long-running spy series has carved out a niche for itself and added to the overall Mission: Impossible narrative.
On that note, our hopes are currently sky high that Mission: Impossible 6 – officially titled Mission: Impossible – Fallout, can recapture the unique balance of style and substance when it finally hits cinemas on Thursday 26th July 2018.
Here’s everything we know about Mission: Impossible — Fallout so far:
The Plot
Image Credits: Slash Film
The series maintains a very loose sense of continuity between films, so it’s generally pretty difficult to tell where the franchise will go from one entry to the next.
Ethan Hunt and his various teams have prevented nuclear winters, the release of deadly viruses, the funding of secret wars, and even taken down mysterious doomsday devices. Clearly, nothing is off the table for this franchise
However, with the release of the official title came a plot synopsis that does give us a lot more to go on. Apparently, Mission: Impossible – Fallout will involve a “race against time” after a “mission gone wrong,” and director Christopher McQuarrie recently revealed that the subtitle has a dual meaning. Not only will the threat of nuclear terrorism be a focus of the sixth installment in the franchise, but Ethan will also be dealing with “the fallout of all his good intentions,” with the plot being driven by “the end result of choices that Ethan Hunt has made in his life.”
The Director
Image Credits: Variety
Mission: Impossible – Fallout is going to take the espionage franchise into uncharted territory with its particular choice for director. Chris McQuarrie (the man behind Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation) has stepped behind the camera for the sixth installment of the series, thus making him the first filmmaker to direct more than one Mission: Impossible film. McQuarrie is a longtime collaborator with Tom Cruise (having also worked on Jack Reacher, as well as The Mummy and Edge of Tomorrow), so it’s pretty clear that these two have a very strong rapport and a very comfortable working relationship. Their recent projects have currently put them on a seriously impressive hot streak, so there’s no reason not to assume that the sixth Mission: Impossible movie will continue that tradition.
Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt
Image Credits: itv.com
Throughout two decades, five directors, and a wide variety of stories, one thing has remained consistent within the Mission: Impossible franchise: Tom Cruise and his always reliable portrayal of super spy Ethan Hunt. Despite the fact that he’s one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood (not to mention one of the last real “movie stars”) Mission: Impossible is Cruise’s only real franchise that he has regularly returned to over the course of his career. Sure, he has returned to the role of Jack Reacher for Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, but Ethan Hunt is the franchise role that Tom Cruise will always be known for.
That said, despite the consistency, we should note that Cruise’s take on Ethan has changed to match the style of the director that he has worked under. In Brian De Palma’s original Mission: Impossible he had an everyman quality to him, in John Woo’s Mission: Impossible 2 he was a gun-toting action hero, in J.J. Abrams’ Mission: Impossible 3 he was basically a superhero, and in Brad Bird’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol he was more of a bumbling, comedic character. Under the guidance of Chris McQuarrie, Cruise seems to have consolidated all of those versions of Ethan into a single character, and as such our hope remains high that we will see the endlessly badass and equally charming Ethan from Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation in the next film.
The Rest of the Cast
Image Credits: Den of Geek
A lot of familiar folks will co-star alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Among the returning faces will be Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust, Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell (who is the only other actor besides Cruise to appear in all of these movies), Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn, Alec Baldwin as Alan Hunley and Sean Harris as Solomon Lane. With the exception of Lane, all of these individuals are Ethan’s allies in one way or another, so bringing them back makes sense. As for Mr. Lane, the former head of The Syndicate, he was last seen in Mission: impossible – Rogue Nation being taken into IMF custody, so it will be interesting to see how he is involved in the sixth movie, be it as an antagonist again (the likelier possibility) or being coerced into assisting the main agents.
One notable absentee from the group is Jeremy Renner, who played William Brandt in Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. No reason was given for why Renner will not be part of the Mission: Impossible – Fallout cast, but since he is currently wielding the bow and arrow again as Hawkeye in the back-to-back Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 shoot, one can surmise that his Marvel duties got in the way. Assuming that Renner isn’t able to sneak away to secretly cameo in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, hopefully the movie will address what happened to Brandt, whether he was killed in the line of duty, transferred elsewhere or some other reason.
Joining the franchise are newcomers Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, and Vanessa Kirby.
Film Shooting
Image Credits: SegmentNext
The film was shot in London, Paris and New Zealand.
The climax sequence of Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout is set in Kashmir, but was recreated in New Zealand.
“We wanted to shoot in Paris and we knew that we are based in London, so something needs to happen there. And we knew we wanted a helicopter chase sequence. The only country which would let us do it was New Zealand and we wanted something which was more political complex than New Zealand. It didn’t feel like something politically dangerous would be happening in New Zealand and we looked at places which had some similarities to New Zealand, and that is why we picked Kashmir,” said director Christopher McQuarrie.
Crazy Stunts
Image Credit: Polygon
It’s well known that Tom Cruise loves to do his own stunts in movies, no matter how dangerous they are.
During production on Mission: Impossible – Fallout in mid-August 2017, Cruise broke his ankle while performing a stunt that required him to jump between buildings. While it was thought for a while that his injury would lead to the release date getting pushed back, that didn’t happen at the time. Cruise was able to take several weeks off to heal, and director Christopher McQuarrie used the down time in filming to get to work on editing the movie so there would be less of that to do after production finally wraps.
Seven weeks after his injury, Cruise was back at work on the movie, and in January of 2018 he was already filming stunts again.
Paramount Pictures shared a featurette from Mission: Impossible – Fallout starring Tom Cruise where he completes a ‘High-Altitude Low Open’ skydive jump. Cruise is apparently the first actor to ever perform such a stunt on camera.
The two-and-a-half-minute video offers both an explanation of the maneuver, as well as the rehearsals the actor went through in order to prepare himself for the dangerous feat. You’ll also be able to check out the helmet the crew had to design especially for this stunt, which was described as both a prop and a lifesaving device. “No one thought it would require over 100 jumps to get the scene,” noted director Christopher McQuarrie.
Toward the end of the video, you’ll actually be able to watch Cruise perform his jump from a plane hovering at a height of 25,000 feet. He then opens his chute once he’s less than 2,000 feet above the ground. Getting the shot was a challenge in and of itself, as lighting was key — there was only a three-minute window every day available to the crew.
“I can’t wait for an audience to see this,” says Cruise in the video, and honestly, neither can we!
The helicopter stunt behind-the-scenes video released by Paramount offers a fascinating peek at Cruise learning how to fly a helicopter in order to film one of the movie’s key sequences — one that has Ethan Hunt performing some complicated maneuvers high in the sky.
Cruise’s commitment to realism in the stunt scenes for the Mission: Impossible movies is a long-standing tradition, and clearly that hasn’t changed with Mission: Impossible – Fallout. The camera rig built for Cruise’s helicopter is particularly noteworthy, as it isn’t often that filmmakers want to capture what’s going on inside the cockpit (which is usually occupied by stunt pilots) just as much as what’s happening outside of it.
The movies was also shot in IMAX 3D, which is fitting for a movie that contains so much action and thrills, and will certain make the crazy sequence Tom Cruise has been practicing for over a year look even more insane.
Movie Rating
Image Credits: CinemaBlend
Although the Mission: Impossible franchise has changed and evolved considerably since the first installment in the franchise hit theaters back in 1996, the rating has remained consistent. Mission: Impossible has pretty much always been a franchise that has relied on the tried and true PG-13 rating, and we do not see that changing anytime soon. The rationale makes plenty of sense, as PG-13 allows the Mission: Impossible films to utilize quite a bit of brutality and violent content, while still casting a wide enough net to draw in the largest possible demographic for audiences.
The movie rating in the Middle East is still to be confirmed. However, based on the fact that Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation released in the UAE with a rating PG-15, It’s safe to presume that the sixth installment of the franchise will release with a similar rating.
A Trailer You Can’t Refuse
Mission: Impossible — Fallout got its first full trailer February 4, 2018, with Paramount releasing the preview after a series of teases and sneak peeks in the days leading up to its debut.
Along with introducing many of the new additions to the Mission: Impossible franchise and the film’s returning characters for this chapter, the trailer for Mission: Impossible – Fallout also offers an early look at some of the death-defying stunts that will fill the latest installment of the series.
Mission: Impossible has blossomed into the best modern-day action franchise, and unlike most franchises, Mission: Impossible has generally improved with each subsequent entry.
The total production budget for the first five Mission Impossible movies (up to Rogue Nation) adds up to $645,000,00, and the Worldwide Box Office earnings adds up to $2,800,369,451 – MI1 (1996) $457,697,994, MI2 (2000) $549,588,516 , MI3 (2006) $397,501,348, MI4 (2011) $694,713,230 and MI5 (2015) $700,868,363.
In the UAE, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) ran for 14 weeks and did approximately 525K admissions, while Missions: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) ran for 21 weeks and did approximately 651K admissions.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation was No. 4 in UAE’s Top 10 Movies of 2015 and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol was No. 1 in UAE’s Top 10 Movies of 2011.
It’s interesting to note that because Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol released in December 2011, it ran for just 2 weeks in 2011 and was the No.1 movie in the UAE for 2011, and ran for a further 19 weeks in 2012 and was No. 12 in UAE’s Top 20 Movies of 2012.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout releases on Thursday 26th July 2018 (Wednesday 25th July 2018 in Egypt) and is guaranteed to usher in large audiences.
Don’t miss out on advertising your brand alongside this MEGA Blockbuster!
Contact a member of our sales team for more information on cinema advertising opportunities alongside Mission: Impossible – Fallout in UAE, Oman, Lebanon, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Sources: CinemaBlend, Digital Trends, YouTube (Paramount Pictures), NDTV and Slashfilm
On June 8th 2018, VOX Cinemas – City Centre Mirdif launched 10 new screens – bringing its screen count to 20 screens and seating capacity to 2573 seats.
The cinema now includes 10 regular screens, 2 VOX MAX screens, 4 THEATRE by Rhodes screens, an IMAX Sapphire screen, a 4DX screen and 2 VOX Kids screens.
The expansion of VOX Cinemas – City Centre Mirdif is part of Majid Al Futtaim’s AED 335 million enhancement project at the mall which also includes:
Mohamed Al Jasmi, Senior Mall Manager of City Centre Mirdif – Majid Al Futtaim said, “We are pleased to release phase one of City Centre Mirdif’s AED335 million enhancement project which will add value to the mall’s existing world-class facilities. We are committed to delivering an unparalleled shopping experience as the needs and expectations of our customers evolve and look forward to introducing the new VOX Cinemas complex and mall prayer rooms next year.”
The redevelopment of existing assets such as City Centre Mirdif is a key element of Majid Al Futtaim’s overall UAE strategy announced in June 2016: to open 10 new City Centre destinations, 28 cinemas, 40 Carrefour supermarkets and a 740,000 sqm community, by the end of 2020.
Sources: City Centre Mirdif (Press Release) and VOX Cinemas
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity – the largest gathering of worldwide advertising professionals, designers, digital innovators and marketers, drew to a close on 22nd June 2018 in Cannes, France.
1.Awards
United Arab Emirates walked away with 12 Lions this year – 3 Gold Lions, 2 Silver Lions and 7 Bronze Lions, across a number of categories. United Arab Emirates also secured approximately 47 shortlists at this year’s Festival.
This year’s Festival received a total of 32,372 entries – with approximately 456 entries from United Arab Emirates, while last year’s Festival received a total of 41,170 entries – with a total of 997 entries from the United Arab Emirates.
Speaking to Gulf News on TBWA\RAAD’s success at Cannes Lions 2018, Reda Raad – CEO TBWA\RAAD said:
“There’s something deeply satisfying about our wins at Cannes. “The wins confirm that what we have been doing for the past few years has been right. We have transformed ourselves into an agency of the future whilst simultaneously gathering new business, winning the highest industry accolades, and cultivating a creative culture that’s capable of consistently producing exceptional work.
It’s a huge achievement. An achievement that could not have been possible without the bravery and belief of our clients and team, and without the contribution of our partners at OMD, phd, Google and Facebook. These wins are an affirmation that data-driven creativity works. And that a team that believes passionately in what it’s doing can achieve almost anything.”
2.Judges
This year, 413 jury members were chosen to award and celebrate the best creative work from around the world.
This year’s juries were composed of individuals from 50 countries – with first-time representatives from Georgia, Nigeria, Kenya and Sri Lanka. Continuing the drive for a more diverse mix within the jury room, this year included 46% female jury members, as well as a wide mix of creative agencies, brands, media owners and production companies.
Seven leading creatives represented the UAE in the Awards and Shortlist jury panel under Entertainment, Design, Health & Wellness, PR, Media, Brand Experience & Activation and Direct categories.
Awards Jury from the UAE:
Entertainment – Walid Kanaan (Chief Creative Officer MENA, TBWA\RAAD)
Design – Ali Rez (Regional Creative Director – Middle East & Pakistan, BBDO Worldwide)
Health & Wellness – Alok Gadkar (General Manager & Executive Creative Director, The Classic Partnership Advertising)
Shortlist Jury:
PR – Alex Malouf (Corporate Communications Manager for the Arabian Peninsula, Procter & Gamble)
Media – Ravi Rao (CEO MENA Region, Mindshare)
Brand Experience & Activation – Juliana Paracencio (Regional Creative Director, Memac Ogilvy Dubai)
Direct – Kapil Bhimekar (Associate Creative Director, Y&R Dubai)
Speaking to Gulf News on his experience as an Awards Jury member at Cannes Lions 2018, Alok Gadkar from The Classic Partnership Advertising said:
“It was my first time for Cannes. It was an honor as much as it was a privilege.
No matter how prepared you are for it, you are never quite prepared. The excitement, the anticipation, the experience, they were unlike anything I had ever experienced before and I would classify this as an experience of a lifetime.
I was selected to judge in the Health & Wellness category and it had about 1462 entries waiting to be tried. That was about going through an average of 200 entries daily. What is really interesting in this category is, the work encompasses multiple disciplines ranging from social films, long format films, product innovation, radio, print, direct, media to all there is in the industry.
Our day typically begins at sharp 9 every morning and continues for at least 12 hours. On the final day of judging where the colour of the award had to be determined, the envelope was pushed and we finished at 2.30am the following day.
What’s really interesting though is despite the extended hours, we were never short on enthusiasm. The process of distilling the longlist to shortlist was challengingly fun. The atmosphere in the jury room was different every day. At times it was very silent and there were days where it was the complete opposite . By the end of the judging process, I had ticked two very important things: 1. Judged and selected the best work from around the world. 2. Judged and selected the best work from around the world with a new bunch of good friends.”
3.International Young Lions Competition
The seven Young Lions competitions (Film, Digital, Design, PR, Print, Marketers and Media) let the next generation of creative superstars demonstrate their creativity on a global stage. Taking place live in Cannes, the competitions are judged by members of the Cannes Lions Jury, and is the perfect opportunity to put young talent in the spotlight.
This year, Gaurav Maitreya and Sumer Kotwal (who entered as a freelance team) represented the UAE within the Digital category, and competed against 44 teams from around the world.
2018 International Young Lions Digital Winners:
Gold – Costa Rica
Silver – France
Bronze – Mexico
Speaking on his experience at the International Young Lions Digital Competition 2018, Gaurav Maitreya said:
“Cannes was a life-changing experience. That’s what I knew I’d say before I attended. But, it was so much more and less. More because rubbing shoulders with the world’s best for an entire week helped me set a new bar. Less because the industry seems to be in flux with budgets shrinking, mediocre content and no clear direction forward. But, no matter what, it holds a special place in advertising for a reason – winning a lion is still the pinnacle in the advertising industry.
The competition was spectacular. Competing with the best creatives from around the world was a rush I could only compare to the first time I ate sugar. The standard was high, but we felt we were right up there with them. It’s really anyone’s game.”
4.Roger Hatchuel Academy 2018
The Roger Hatchuel Academy – which runs parallel to the Cannes Lions Festival, trains the Lion winners of tomorrow with intensive mentorship from industry thought-leaders, marketing luminaries and the world’s most celebrated creatives.
Students follow a programme tailored to the current industry landscape, one which combines classroom sessions and a selection of official Festival content.
This year, Lina Ibrahim – a third year student of the American University in Dubai (AUD) who is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree of Fine Arts in Visual Communication (majoring in Advertising), was selected to represent the UAE at the prestigious Academy.
Speaking on her experience at the Roger Hatchuel Academy 2018, Lina Ibrahim said:
“This opportunity allowed me to meet anyone and everyone. Students, professionals, leaders and even celebrities. Every conversation I had and every talk I attended gave me new insights and increased my knowledge and understanding of the industry. The workshops I did alongside other students helped me better my skills. I learned how to be a better leader, communicator, and learned to become more open minded and diverse. This allowed me to become more confident in myself and my skills, which made me not only realize that my work is in fact remarkable, but also helped me fight for what I’m passionate about.
One of the most memorable workshops was a 48-hour brief which was presented to the jurors of Cannes Lions. This was the highlight of my trip as they told my group that our idea was clever and that they would like to see it come to life for next year’s festival as we were labeled the future creatives of the industry! Another bit of the trip that blew me away was the future technological innovations that were introduced to us by Google and other companies. Despite the fact that I was on a whole different continent, I was astounded to realize what a small world it really is. As even in France, I met mutual friends of mine and my family. I’m also glad that I made new friends and that we’ve grown so close together in such a short period of time. We already consider each other family and it was emotional leaving each other behind.
It’s safe to say that the Roger Hatchuel Academy was quite literally the best experience of my life and for that, I would like to thank Motive Val Morgan for the opportunity. I would also like to thank Maksimilian Kallhed and Abraham Abbi Asefaw for organizing the Roger Hatchuel Academy. It’s because of them that I am even more informed and passionate about advertising. I definitely recommend that everyone in the industry should visit Cannes Lions at some point in their lives. It is an unforgettable and seamless experience where you come out as a better and more improved version of yourself.”
5. “See It Be It” 2018
As part of the Cannes Lions Festival, the ‘See It Be It’ programme is an initiative that aims to create a platform for women who face diversity challenges in the industry and enables them to become the drivers for change in their respective regions and throughout the industry by providing access to high-profile leaders, executive coaching and mentoring opportunities with senior figures from across the industry.
This year’s ‘See It Be It’ programme included 20 participants in total from Lebanon, Uganda, USA, Turkey, Australia, Brazil, France, Denmark, Chile, India, Ecuador, Romania and UAE.
Prajakta More – Conceptual Creative from Geometry Global Dubai, represented the UAE at this year’s programme, and she’s written a comprehensive article on her experience which can be accessed here.
As the official UAE representatives of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Motivate and Motivate Val Morgan would like to congratulate all winning agencies in the UAE, and wish those who represented the country at this year’s Festival a job well done!
Sources: Cannes Lions and Gulf News
Motivate Val Morgan recently acquired new cinema locations across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UAE.
Operational Cinema Locations:
1.VOX Cinemas | Riyadh Park Mall | Saudi Arabia
VOX Cinemas launched at Riyadh Park Mall in May 2018. The cinema features 4 screens with a total seating capacity of 330 seats, and includes an IMAX and Kids screen.
2.VOX Cinemas | The Avenues | Kuwait
VOX Cinemas launched at The Avenues Kuwait in May 2018. The cinema is the biggest in Kuwait with 17 screens and 1645 seats. The cinema includes 4 Theatre by Rhodes screens, 2 MAX screens and 2 Kids screens.
3.VOX Cinemas | City Centre Sharjah | UAE
VOX Cinemas launched at City Centre Sharjah on 14th June 2018. The cinema is home to 12 screens with a total seating capacity of 1268 seats, and includes 1 Max screen, 2 Kids screens and 2 Gold by Rhodes screens.
4.Cinemacity | 06 Mall Sharjah | UAE
Cinemacity launched its brand-new cinema at 06 Mall in Sharjah on April 10th 2018. The cinema has 8 screens with a total seating capacity of 1293 seats.
The cinema is home to UAE’s biggest IMAX screen to date (366 seats), which also includes an exclusive VIP lounge for IMAX ticket holders. The IMAX cinemas also offers three different classes of seating – Deluxe Class leather wrapped seats, Club Class seats with semi reclining chairs as well as extra legroom, and the luxurious full reclining VIP Star Class seats that come with in-theater service.
The cinema also features 2 Star Theaters (Gold Class theaters) with a private lounge.
Motivate Val Morgan presently services 6 cinema operators (VOX Cinemas, Reel Cinemas, Oscar Cinema, Cine Royal Cinema, Roxy Cinemas and Cinemacity) across 51 cinema locations in 8 countries (UAE, Oman, Lebanon, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia). We have a total of 471 screens and 59686 seats as part of our cinema network.
Cinema Locations Coming Soon:
1.VOX Cinemas | Aloft City Centre Deira | UAE
Movie lovers, be prepared to be transported into the world of film at Aloft City Centre Deira, Dubai – offering the regions first movie themed suites alongside a VOX Cinemas OUTDOOR screen with 40 seats.
Bringing a fresh vibe to Deira, Aloft City Centre is now open, but the OUTDOOR cinema is scheduled to open soon.
2.Reel Cinemas | Rove Downtown | UAE
Reel Cinemas will further expand its local footprint with a brand-new concept – the first hotel-cinema – located in Rove Downtown, the contemporary midscale hotel in Downtown Dubai. The hotel-cinema will add to the convenience of hotel guests, catering to the needs of contemporary travellers and urban residents.
Scheduled to launch in Q3 2018, the boutique Reel Cinemas – Rove Downtown will feature 1 screen with approximately 49 seats, and will include state-of-the-art audiovisual technologies.
3.Reel Cinemas | The Springs Souq | UAE
The Springs Souk, a development by Emaar is now open in the heart of the Springs community.
The new retail and leisure destination is made up of around 100 shops and restaurants split across two levels. Inside, you’ll also find a large Carrefour Market, family clinic and a gym.
Reel Cinemas is set to open a cinema at the mall. Details of the number of screens and seating capacity are still to be confirmed.
Stay tuned for more updates on the 3 cinema locations opening soon!
Sources: Arabian Business, City Centre Deira, Reel Cinemas and What’s On
ScreenX is the new immersive theatre experience with 270 – degree views over three walls promises to bring a new dimension to UAE Cinema!
A new partnership between Reel Cinemas – Dubai entertainment company operated by Emaar – and CJ 4DPLEX, has resulted in the announcement that a new kind of cinema experience is to open at The Dubai Mall later this year.
Known as ScreenX, it’s the first multi-projection system in the world to provide cinemagoers with a 270-degree panoramic view, and The Dubai Mall venue will become one of a select few in the Middle East, with just 142 currently existing around the world.
The concept was created six years ago by CJ CGV, a South Korean tech company, as one of a new wave of sensory cinematic experiences, such as 4DX, which incorporates motion and environmental effects, like being splashed with water or your seat moving in tandem with the action on screen.
Projected onto three walls, specific sections of the footage being shown are expanded to produce an immersive image that brings new meaning to the term ‘widescreen’.
Reel Cinemas already runs the first dine-in cinema concept in the UAE, at Dubai’s Jebel Ali Recreation Club, as well as what it refers to as a ‘Boutique Cineplex’ at Dubai Marina Mall.
An opening date for ScreenX at Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall is yet to be announced.
Sources: The National (Lifestyle) and TheScreenX (YouTube Channel)
Here are some interesting on-screen cinema campaigns screening across the Motivate Val Morgan cinema circuit in UAE, Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia:
Atlantis
The ad was booked to follow the movie Deadpool 2 (for as long as the movie screens in cinema) at VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates, Reel Cinema – The Dubai Mall and Dubai Marina Mall and Roxy Cinemas – City Walk.
The ad was booked to follow the movie Incredibles 2 (for as long as the movie screens in cinema) at VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates, Reel Cinema – The Dubai Mall and Dubai Marina Mall and Roxy Cinemas – City Walk.
Wild Wadi
The ad was booked to screen from 17th May to 20th June 2018 on selected screens at VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif and Mercato Mall.
Jumeirah
The Ramadan ad by Jumeirah was booked to screen from 17th May to 20th June 2018 on selected screens at VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif and Mercato Mall.
London Dairy
The ad was booked to follow the movie Solo: A Star Wars Story (for as long as the movie screens in cinema) at VOX Cinemas – Marina Mall Abu Dhabi, Yas Mall Abu Dhabi, Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif, Burjuman, Cineplex Grand Hyatt and Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall and Dubai Marina Mall.
Home Centre
The Home Centre Ramadan ad was booked to screen from 24th May to 6th June 2018 on all screens at VOX Cinemas – Riyadh Park Mall (Saudi Arabia).
Chanel
The Bleu by Chanel ad was booked to screen from 31st May to 27th June 2018 on the Top Screens at VOX Cinemas – Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif, Yas Mall Abu Dhabi, Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall and Roxy Cinemas – City Walk.
Adidas
The latest Adidas commercial featuring popular football players such as Lionel Messi, Mohamed Salah and Neymar, was booked to screen from 5th June to 16th July 2018 on the Top Screens of VOX Cinemas – Yas Mall Abu Dhabi, Marina Mall Abu Dhabi, Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif, Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall and Dubai Marina Mall and Roxy Cinemas – City Walk.
Cartier
Cartier booked a campaign to screen from 14th June to 27th June 2018 at Roxy Cinemas – Boxpark and City Walk, VOX Cinemas – Marina Mall Abu Dhabi, Mall of the Emirates and Mercato Mall, Riyadh Park Mall (Saudi Arabia) and The Avenues (Bahrain) and Reel Cinemas – The Dubai Mall.
Double Tree by Hilton
Double Tree by Hilton booked a campaign from 14th June to 27th June at Cinemacity, VOX Cinemas – City Centre Mirdif, Mall of the Emirates and Yas Mall Abu Dhabi, Roxy Cinemas – City Walk, Oscar Cinema – Al Wahda Mall and Cine Royal Cinema – Dalma Mall.
Oman Tourism College
The campaign from Oman Tourism College was booked to screen for a period of one week from the day of EID 2018 at VOX Cinemas – City Centre Muscat, City Centre Qurum, Salalah, Sur, Sohar and Buraimi.
Splash
Splash booked a campaign for a period of two weeks from the day of EID 2018 – following the movie Race 3 (Hindi), at VOX Cinemas – Marina Mall Abu Dhabi, City Centre Deira, Mall of the Emirates, Al Hamra Mall in Ras Al Khaimah and Cine Royal Cinema – Ruwais Mall.
Toyota
The Toyota Rush campaign was booked for a period of two weeks from the day of EID 2018 – following the movie Race 3 (Hindi), at Cine Royal – Dalma Mall, Oscar Cinema – Al Shaab Village and VOX Cinemas – Burjuman, Cineplex Grand Hyatt and City Centre Deira.
Interested in launching an on-screen cinema campaign?
Contact a member of our Sales Team for more information on cinema advertising opportunities in UAE, Lebanon, Oman, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
The forthcoming female-led installment in the Ocean’s franchise, will arrive in cinema on 21st June 2018 with a stiletto-stomping bang!
Ocean’s 8 – the spinoff to the Ocean’s Eleven trilogy directed by Steven Soderbergh, will put eight women at the helm of the heist thriller.
Directed by Gary Ross and featuring a stellar cast (which includes a number of award winners) such as Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sara Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna and Awkwafina, the film will be the ultimate female-centric cinema event of the year.
Photo by Barry Wetcher – © 2016 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc
Movie Plot:
Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), younger sister of the late Danny Ocean, spends five years, eight months and twelve days in prison planning a heist. Convincing her partner-in-crime and friend Lou (Cate Blanchett) to take part in her heist, Debbie proceeds to recruit jewellery maker Amita (Mindy Kaling) profiteer Tammy (Sarah Paulson) street hustler Constance (Awkwafina), computer cracker Leslie a.k.a. Nine Ball (Rihanna) and fashion designer Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter). In a flashback, it is revealed that Debbie’s ex-lover, Claude Becker (Richard Armitage) had involved her in a fraud scheme and then testified against her, sending her to prison. As payback, Debbie chooses Becker to be the scapegoat for the plot to steal the Toussaint, a $150 million necklace, at New York City’s star-studded annual Met Gala.
Using celebrity actress Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway) as an unwitting mule, the crew successfully substitutes a fake necklace prepared by Tammy for the real necklace, and sells the diamonds in small portions through various intermediaries. It is revealed that Daphne had caught on to the plot and became a willing accomplice out of a need for female friendship. She successfully plants evidence in Becker’s residence to set him up as a suspect in insurance investigator John Frazier’s (James Corden)fraud probe. Free from suspicion, Debbie and Lou disclose to the crew that they had stolen more items than just the necklace during the commotion at the Met museum. The remaining proceeds are used to increase everyone’s share of the take, leading to a montage of each crew member living their best life. Debbie visits her brother’s grave and drinks an olive martini, claiming he would have loved the heist.
Trailer:
For brands wanting to target female audiences, here’s your best opportunity!
Advertise alongside this bold, funny and joyous crime comedy – guaranteed to usher in large female audiences, releasing across cinemas on Thursday 21st June 2018.
Contact a member of our Sales Team to book a campaign today!
