MEIFF: Eastern Promises

June 18, 2009 "It's very rare to find such a well-structured plan and organization of film and media bodies anywhere in the world," says Al Ruwaini, a popular Arab TV personality who is in the process of producing an Emirati film set in Abu Dhabi through her company, Pyramedia. The festival has furthered its desire to create a steady culture of cinema in the region by setting up the Circle, a film financing initiative, hosting scriptwriting workshops and exposing its local audiences to an array of cinema from around the world. With more than $1 million in prize money distributed as part of its Black Pearl Awards, Al Ruwaini says "the festival has always acknowledged that a strong budget for prize money was needed as an edge."

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