Imagenation Abu Dhabi, a leading feature film producer, has signed a global distribution agreement with Netherlands-based Fortissimo Films for the first slate of Arabic language film projects of Imagenation.

The announcement follows the recent distribution agreement with Empire International for the Mena region, and gives Imagenation’s first local productions global reach with the support of these two renowned industry partners.

The multi-year, multi-picture agreement will begin with the international distribution of Imagenation Abu Dhabi’s first two Emirati productions - the coming-of-age story Sea Shadow by Emirati director Nawaf Al-Janahi (The Circle), and the Arabian supernatural thriller Djinn, by renowned director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Poltergeist).

“Fortissimo has a long and successful track-record of taking emerging film industries to a world-wide audience,” said Mohammed Al Mubarak, Chairman of Imagenation Abu Dhabi.

“They work closely with their partners to nurture and effectively position films across a number of markets, and it was this experience, involvement and commitment to the industry that we sought in our international sales agent.”

“Through our new partnerships with both Fortissimo and Empire, the strength of Imagenation Abu Dhabi’s content will now be matched by the strength of our distribution network,” he added.

Michael Garin, CEO of Imagenation Abu Dhabi, said: “With their extensive industry knowledge, Fortissimo will not only be an important partner in the distribution of our films internationally, but also in the development of our future film projects.”

“They will provide us with real time data on our existing projects while also helping us to determine the type of films we will develop going forward, all with increased market awareness.”

Michael J Werner, chairman of Fortissimo, added: "We are witnessing the creation of a new, unique and talented source for international cinema and we are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Imagenation Abu Dhabi and the amazing slate of projects that the company is putting together.”

“The diversity of the slate and the care and strategizing that is going into the development of each project means that these films have real potential to resonate with international festivals, journalists, distributors and audiences the world over,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service