British film group looks to establish Bahrain presence

Epic movie Saladin The London based Twickenham Films and its sister company Oasis Films announced Tuesday in a press release that they plan to establish a firm presence in Bahrain. The steps involve forming an associated company and a local office in the Kingdom.
Twickenham Films, the production arm of the Twickenham Film Group, revealed plans Tuesday to work alongside Oasis Films. Oasis films is responsible for the creation of the £200 million Middle Eastern backed Oasis Film Fund, in order to establish a presence in Bahrain.
The head of production and the executive producer of Twickenham Films Ltd, James Black has revealed that he is in talks with the leading Bahraini law firm Elham Ali Hassan & Associates to act on behalf of Twickenham Film Group in the formation of a local company, which will work alongside the organisation on a long-term basis. Black on Tuesday stated his intention to visit Bahrain before the end of May following Tuesday’s announcement.
After extensive research, Bahrain was selected by Twickenham Film Group as the perfect Gulf country in which to establish the company’s planned Middle Eastern-based office, due to its strategic location in the Arab world. Factors that affirmed this decision included the country’s highly developed telecommunications industry, its position as a leading global financial centre as well as its strong pre-existing cultural interest in the film industry.
The company also announced Tuesday that they are interested in developing a film academy and production centre in Bahrain’s capital Manama. The group added that Black’s visit to Bahrain in the near future will incorporate discussions around this potential development.
Tuesday’s news follows the announcement earlier this year of a slate of ten new productions by Twickenham Films, some of which will be partly shot on location in the Middle East, and the plans to incorporate talent from as many Arab actors, writers, producers and directors as possible. With planned productions set to include the £60 million movie epic Saladin, the slate will secure funding from the newly developed Oasis Film Fund, part of the Twickenham Film Group.
The Oasis Film Fund First, which was launched in February 2012 at the Arab British Chamber of Commerce in London, aims to build up a minimum fund of £200 million for investment into Anglo-Arab film productions over next year. It is appealing to both individual, and corporate Middle Eastern investors, who are keen to involve themselves within the highly successful British film industry.