A new Arabic television series aimed at the region’s 18-35 year olds has wrapped filming in Abu Dhabi after a successful eight-week shoot facilitated by Abu Dhabi Film Commission.
Jeeran (which translates as “neighbours”) is the latest offering from Clacket Media, a production company based at Abu Dhabi’s media hub, twofour54.
The 25-episode comedy series follows a group of young professionals from different Arab countries sharing a house in Abu Dhabi, chronicling the friendships, fights and, of course, the romantic relationships that develop between the people who live together. The series was directed by Amer Fahed and stars Jouneid Ezz Eldin, Maen Abdelhak, Amro Alkadi, Omar Abdulaziz, Stefany Salem, Samira Al Magroun, Mirna Shalfoun, Mirhan Hussein in the lead roles as well as the winners of reality show Arab Casting, Ahmad Saeed and Zouber Belhour.
During filming, Acting CEO of twofour54, Maryam Al Mheiri made a visit to the set to meet the cast, crew and director of the series to show her support for the twofour54-based company.
Al Mheiri said: “Clacket Media’s new series, Jeeran, is another example of the strength of content that is being created day in, day out from the twofour54 campus. Television remains a strong sector in the Middle East and twofour54 is proud to be enabling the creation of world-class, yet locally relevant content that meets the appetite of our region’s audiences.”
Manager of Abu Dhabi Film Commission, Jassim Al Nowais, said: “Supporting Arabic content creation is a key driver for ADFC so we are delighted to support Clacket in bringing its latest Arabic drama to air. In addition to attracting Hollywood and Indian films, having regional producers embrace Abu Dhabi as a production location is key to ensuring the industry’s sustainable growth. We wish Clacket Media every success with this latest regional drama when it goes to air.”
Sara Dabbous, Executive Director of Clacket Media, said the 30 percent rebate offered by Abu Dhabi Film Commission was a strong incentive to film the series in Abu Dhabi, while twofour54 offered the right licensing and business ownership model for Clacket to establish itself in the UAE.
Dabbous said: “Jeeran is the ninth project we have undertaken since we set up in Abu Dhabi at twofour54. We value being part of a genuine content creation community and appreciate the work that twofour54 does to enable the entire industry by showcasing the high quality production capabilities of Abu Dhabi.” A Syrian company, Clacket Media set up at twofour54 in Abu Dhabi in 2013 and has made a number of television series in the Capital including the award winning series, Al Ikhwa (The Brothers) and AlArrab, Alwilada Men Alkhasira.