O3 Productions, the production arm of MBC Group, and Image Nation Abu Dhabi, today announced a new strategic partnership for film and television production, a report said.

"The new strategic partnership between Image Nation and MBC is a further indication of our shared commitment to producing high-quality Arab language film and television for the Arab world,” Ben Ross, head of Narrative Film and Television at Image Nation, was quoted as saying by Emirates official news agency Wam.

“This move reinforces Image Nation’s position as a go-to production partner in the region and adds to our already robust slate of programs across film and television."

The first project, under this new partnership, is the adaptation of author Ibraheem Abbas’ best-selling novel sci-fi, "HWJN" into an Arabic-language feature film which will be co-produced and co-financed by both companies.

The novel HWJN is a pop culture phenomenon in Saudi Arabia and across the Arab World, having topped bestseller lists across the Gulf.