Imagenation Abu Dhabi Aligns with Hollywood Producer

ABU
DHABI, November 3: Imagenation Abu Dhabi has entered into a $250-million
financing deal to develop, produce and distribute feature films with Ashoj
Amritraj's Hyde Park Entertainment in Los Angeles.

The
deal calls for the creation of up to 20 titles over seven years and will include additional
financing for the production of local-language and cross-cultural films.
Furthermore, Hyde Park Entertainment will establish its regional headquarters
at Two Four 54, the recently unveiled free media zone in Abu Dhabi.

Amritraj,
the chairman and CEO of Hyde Park Entertainment and producer of Bringing Down the House, Raising Helen
and Walking Tall, among others,
stated: "We intend to produce wonderful films that stretch from Hollywood
to Asia, enabling us to foster a better understanding between the West, the
Middle East and Asia. What better way to accomplish this than through global
cinema and the exchange of talent and great stories."

Edward
Borgerding, the CEO of Imagenation Abu Dhabi, added: "Hyde Park
Entertainment brings us not only creative and commercial prowess but also distribution
strength, so we're pleased with this latest partnership that will focus on both
Western and Asian themes. We are also delighted that Hyde Park Entertainment
will set up a local office here in Abu Dhabi, which will reinforce the region's
credentials as an emerging centre for content creation and professional
development."

Patrick
Aiello, Hyde Park’s executive VP, will supervise creative affairs for the
partnership, while Mimi Steinbauer, the newly named president of Hyde Park
International, will handle worldwide sales for titles produced by the company.

Abu Dhabi Media Company
founded Imagenation Abu Dhabi in September, announcing plans to spend more than
$1 billion
over the next five years on creating feature films and digital content. Last month,
the firm inked a deal that sees it joining National Geographic Entertainment in
a $100-million fund for the production of ten to 15 factual feature films over
the next five years.

—By Mansha Daswani