Thaindian News

Abu Dhabi, Oct 12 (IANS) The United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based film production company Imagenation Abu Dhabi has entered into a $100-million deal with National Geographic to produce 10 to 15 films over the next five years.National Geographic Entertainment, a division of National Geographic Global Media, and the UAE company will jointly develop, produce, finance and acquire films that focus on people’s relationship to the world, their environment and each other, the state-run Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

Each of the films will have a budget between $5 million and $60 million.

“This deal with National Geographic continues our strategy of building relationships with the world’s leading media companies,” said Edward Borgerding, chief executive of Imagenation and its parent company Abu Dhabi Media Co.

“This partnership supports our aim to produce award-winning films that are commercially successful and appealing to diverse cultures around the globe,” he added.

This is the second of three major deals the Abu Dhabi-based film production company is expected to enter into in the next three months.

Last month, it entered into a $250-million deal with Los Angeles-based Participant Media to produce about 18 films within the next five years.

“National Geographic is a perfect partner for Imagenation. It is one of the most identifiable and respected global brands, and we are delighted to be working with this great organisation as it expands its film presence,” Mohamed Khalaf Al-Mazrouei, chairman of Imagenation and parent firm Abu Dhabi Media Co, said.

National Geographic Films chairman Jake Eberts said National Geographic’s access to a treasure trove of images and stories would help make the power of film to bring people of different cultures together.

Imagenation, launched Sep 3 this year, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Media Co.

The company has announced plans to develop, finance and produce full-length feature films and digital content for Arabic and global markets.