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Hollywood Based Production Outfit Expands Operations in the Middle East

Portfolio Films partners with five internationally acclaimed directors as the company decides to shift more focus into commercial productions and corporate films catering to businesses in the Gulf region. Portfolio Films tapped Los Angeles and London based directors to work exclusively with Portfolio Films in the Middle East with a vision of offering access to top-notch talents and world class production facilities unique from what is available in the market right now.

Established in 2008, Portfolio Films which holds offices in Raleigh Studios in Hollywood initiated multiple film and documentary projects currently in production within the US, Europe and Asia. In parallel, its Dubai office has been quietly producing select commercials for the Middle East, Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe while utilizing its wide network of production partners across the globe.

Portfolio Films' chairman Stuart Cameron is positive that the demand for high end, quality driven productions will continue grow in 2012.

"I believe that the Middle East market is ready to embrace new technologies and talents being offered in production hubs such as Los Angeles and London. That's what Portfolio Films wants to bring to the table, to combine our many years of "in region local knowledge" with the very highest quality of human and technical resources available within the global industry."

Portfolio Films' most recent project is a stereoscopic 3D theatrical and TV commercial for Toshiba that launched during the 2011 Rugby World Cup in South Africa and it was subsequently released in Turkey and parts of Central Europe. Shot in Los Angeles and Manchester, the two minute commercial film employed the services of Cameron-PACE camera systems with the 3D technology used by James Cameron in his movie, Avatar. The commercial also featured sound from Emmy award winning sound designers David Kitchens and Ben Zarai (of Juniper Post California), the voice of Golden Globe nominated actor Lance Henriksen (Alien, The Terminator) and an appearance by Manchester United's Ryan Giggs. The success of this project was what inspired Portfolio Films to do more commercial work in the Gulf region.

Aiham Ajib, Creative Director and owner of Real Image, the premier animation and post production facility in the Middle East, does not see Portfolio Films' expansion as competition, rather, he sees it as an opportunity for the market to have access to high end production facilities that most might think is unavailable in the region.

"Real Image had the opportunity to work with Portfolio Films as their post-production and animation partner in one of its 3D commercials. During the production, my team was able to work hand in hand with the same people that worked in Avatar. It was such an exciting project for all of us and that was made possible by Portfolio Films."

Cameron maintains that it is not enough for a production company to have access to the best facilities out there, it is also important to have directors who will be able to progress and execute the client's vision.

"With the exceptional background of Portfolio Films' new set of directors, we hope to offer a different take on creative media production in the region."

Portfolio's group of exclusive directors include London based Simon Hunter, who directed commercials for brands such as Coca Cola, British Airways, Royal Sun & Alliance, NTL, Deutsche Post Bank and many others. Hunter was once honored as one of the directors for Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. Hunter is also a feature film director and has directed the sci-fi hit The Mutant Chronicles.

The next director on the list is David Mueller, a film and documentary director whose projects "A Good Day To Die" (2010) and " Dalai Lama Renaissance" (2007) won multiple international awards in film festivals in Toronto, Barbados, Monaco and Munich to name a few. Mueller has directed national TV campaigns in the US for Panasonic, Pacific Bell and Ketchum Communications.

Mike Brady is only one of the very few cutting-edge 3D experienced directors in the world, who recently directed a 3D campaign for Royal Mail in the UK. He has won three Best Director awards for his music video projects and has directed corporate films for BMW and Ford.

Portfolio is also bringing in Tim Rogg, a television and commercials director who has worked with BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Disney in the UK. One of his strengths is directing dynamic content for web as evidenced by numerous viral videos he directed for MTV, Virgin Media and Sony Ericsson.

Kev Robertson, the only Director of Photography in the group, has shot commercial films in the US for brands such as Volvo, LG and SBC DSL. Robertson was also the cinematographer for the Emmy nominated documentary "The Flight That Fought Back".

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© Press Release 2012