REEL ACADEMY IS FOR REAL

The Master Plan of the Dubai Studio City includes, among other things, an international film academy, which will train the manpower required for Dollywood, and a major film production centre in the world. The project will be part of the Dubai Studio City, a member of Dubai Holdings. Currently film buffs from the UAE and other Gulf countries get trained in film production from British Universities or the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).

Some of the world's famous film institutes are based in Cuba, Russia, USA or Europe. Dubai's picturesque landscape regularly attracts filmmakers from Hollywood, Bollywood and around the region. With the city preparing for the second Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) in which many glamorous film celebrities will participate, Dubai is acquiring a major place in the world film map.

The Dubai Studio City is planned as an ideal location where one can shoot a film from start to finish. "From financing to casting to pre-production, filming in exotic locations to editing, sound recording to visual animation, you name it and we will provide it under one roof," said an official announcement.

In addition to the short filmmaking courses offered by some of the colleges in Dubai, the Manhattan Film Academy (MFA) is the only institute currently offering film related courses in association with the Emirates College for Management and Information Technology.

Manhattan Film Academy (MFC), a NYC based film institute, currently offers short training courses for professional writers, directors, cinematographers, audiographers and editors through a series of intensive hands-on workshops.

"There will be a lot of demand for film professionals in the region. There is no other major film academy in the region, as the film industry has not grown here substantially. There is great demand for a film academy to train manpower for the film industry in the region," said Suresh Dinakaran, Founding Director of the Manhattan Film Academy, Dubai chapter.

Experts say the film industry requires specially trained people in script writing, cinematography, pre-production, production and post-production techniques. Even though the film industry is at its nascent stage, many Hollywood and Bollywood units are planning to set up their own facilities within the Dubai Studio City.

The proposed film academy will serve the industry's manpower requirements in the region. Private investors have initiated serious discussions with the Dubai Studio City authorities to start similar training programmes.