Abu Dhabi’s bustling backlot lands prestigious ASBU BroadcastPro accolade for media and entertainment hub twofour54
15 Nov 2017
twofour54 won the “Editor’s Choice for Outstanding Set and Studio Build in the Region” at the prestigious ASBU BroadcastPro Selevision Awards last night – further recognition of the incredible work the media and entertainment hub is doing to develop Abu Dhabi’s world-class production infrastructure.
The award was given to twofour54 for the backlot that has been developed over the past 12 months in Khalifa Industrial Zone (KIZAD).
The backlot has already been used by numerous productions, including Bollywood blockbuster ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ which features Indian superstar Salman Khan. Some 300 crew built the 20,000 square metre set which was designed specifically for Tiger Zinda Hai by Indian production company Yash Raj Films.
The first set was built last year for drama ‘Haret El Shiekh’ which was then followed by a second set for Arabic drama Al Asouf; both TV shows were produced by O3 Productions.
The 6500 square-metre set for ‘Al Asouf’ took the shape of a small village based in the 1970s, while the 5,400 square-metre outdoor set built to host filming the upcoming 30-episode drama ‘Haret El Sheikh’ was in the form of a neighbourhood in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in the late 19th century, centred around a piazza with shops, a mosque and houses.
The total area used for the backlot is 70,000 square metres and facilities include costume, make up and dressing rooms, as well as a canteen and production offices.
Her Excellency Maryam Eid AlMheiri, CEO of the Media Zone Authority – Abu Dhabi and twofour54, said: “We are very proud to have been Editor’s Choice for Outstanding Set and Studio Build in the Region, at the ASBU BroadcastPro Selevision Awards.
“Our backlot forms an important part of the incredible offering that Abu Dhabi now has for production companies, which also includes state-of-the-art facilities at twofour54, a talented pool of creative professionals and financial incentives, such as the 30 percent rebate on production spend.
“The world-class infrastructure that has been built in Abu Dhabi to serve the film and television industry has drawn productions from across the world to Abu Dhabi, from Arabic dramas to Bollywood to Hollywood blockbusters, including ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’, ‘War Machine’ and ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’.
“We are rapidly becoming the location of choice for content creators in the region and this award not only recognises our efforts but motivates us to develop and support our growing creative industries even more as the UAE looks to diversify its economy.”
The ASBU BroadcastPro Selevision Awards cover a range of categories to reward excellence in various areas of broadcast, from production and post-production to traditional broadcast and new media platforms.
The Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU), an IBC award winner, has teamed up with BroadcastPro Middle East for the awards, which run alongside the ASBU BroadcastPro Selevision Summit. The winners are chosen by a panel of broadcast experts from across the MENA region.
The Editor’s Choice for Outstanding Set and Studio Build in the Region award is the latest top accolade for twofour54.
Earlier this year, the hub was also named ‘Studio of the Year’ at Digital Studio’s annual awards ceremony at the Ritz Carlton in Dubai.
The awards are a showcase of industry excellence for the TV, film and broadcast production sectors in the Middle East. In awarding twofour54 one of the most coveted gongs, the judges recognised the content creation hub and production services provider for its breadth of studio work covering both regional and international television and feature films.
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