London’s Twickenham looks to the Middle East

by Naman Ramachandran

03/05/2012 - London based Twickenham Films, the production arm of the Twickenham Film Group, will work alongside Oasis Films, responsible for the creation of the £200 million solely Middle East-backed Oasis Film Fund, to establish a presence in Bahrain.

Head of Production and Executive Producer of Twickenham Films Ltd James Black has hired 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.

A Group statement said, “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 such as Bahrain's highly developed telecommunications industry and its position as a leading global financial centre, as well as its strong pre-existing cultural interest in the film industry, also made it the ideal choice to represent the Group in the Middle East.” The Group is also looking at developing a film academy and production centre in Bahrain’s capital Manama.

Earlier this year, the Group announced a slate of ten new productions by Twickenham Films, some of which will be shot and partly shot on location in the Middle East, incorporating talent from as many Arab actors, writers, producers and directors as possible. Planned productions include the £60 million movie epic Saladin.