VARIETY: Disney expands into Middle East
Disney expands into Middle East
Studio in talks to fund, produce ‘Storytellers’
By ALI JAAFAR
The Mouse has landed in the Middle East.
Disney is in advanced negotiations with Lebanese helmer Chadi Zeneddine to finance and produce “The Last of the Storytellers.”
The Mouse House’s first feature in Arabic will mark the start of an expansion drive by Disney execs into the region.
Pic, which will also be produced by Rachel Gandin, will draw on the Arab world’s rich folkloric traditions. “The Last of the Storytellers” should go into production by the end of 2009.
Disney has big plans for the Middle East. The Arab world has a population of some 300 million people, and with two-thirds under age 30, the market is a natural for family-friendly Disney fare. Disney expects to announce two more Arabic-language features in time for the fifth edition of the Dubai Film Festival, which unspools in December.
“There’s a lot of opportunity for us in the Middle East,” said a Disney exec, who insisted on anonymity. “There’s a lot of room for growth for us. It’s the international territory that we’re most excited about expanding into.”
Disney may be the first of the majors to announce its Middle Eastern plans, but the other studios are also seriously eyeing the region.
