Based on an Arabic classic, the 88-minute family film is funded jointly by all the GCC nations

Dubai, Dec 2, 2004

The first-ever animated film produced in the Gulf will make its world premiere at the first-ever Dubai International Film Festival, Festival organizers announced yesterday. The film, The Jungle Kid (Ibn Al Ghabah), is the result of a joint GCC  production venture and will be screened at 2.30 pm on Thursday, December 9, at Cinema 5 at the Mercato Mall.

Masoud Amralla Al Ali, programmer of the Festival's "Arabian Nights" segment, said the inclusion of this film is a reflection of the Festival's aims. Amralla, the founder-director of the Emirates Film Competition, is also the artistic director of the UAE Cultural Foundation.

"This is a great addition to our Festival line-up, not only because it is a first for the Arab world, but also because we want to encourage Arab filmmakers to break new ground," Amralla said. "It is a well-crafted film, and is sure to have strong inter-generational appeal because of its story and its message." 

The film is based on the classic Arabic novel 'Hai bin Yaqzan' by famous Arab writer Ibn Toufyl, and tells the story of an infant raised by a deer after being abandoned in the woods. Eventually, the young boy starts to examine the ways of nature and the universe around him and embarks on a search for the maker of all things.

The original 12th century story of Hai bin Yaqzan is believed to be one of the most popular pieces of literature to emerge from the Middle Ages, and is considered by many to have been the prototype for Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. The author, Ibn Toufyl, was one of the outstanding philosophers and scientists of his day, and the book reflects his concerns and ideologies.

Ibn Toufyl's young man was cast upon a desert island as an infant and suckled and reared by a doe. As the boy grows, his physical development is paralleled by his psychological and spiritual development.

The 88-minute family film is the latest creation from the GCC Joint Programs Production Institution, a Kuwait-based group with a history of creating quality educational programming for Arabic-speaking children. The institution, which is jointly funded by all the Gulf states, earlier produced Iftah Ya Simsim, the Arab version of Sesame Street.

The Jungle Kid uses a combination of traditional 2-D animation and modern computer-generated 3-D animation, and the vocal talents of several Arab stars including Ghanim Al Suleity, Sanaa Younis, Fathiyya Ibrahim and Abdul Nasser Al Zayer. Completing the pan-Arab creative team is Iraqi director Thamer Al Zaidi, who will be in Dubai for the Festival.

"We do not have a history of animation like the Japanese or Americans, so we cannot really compare the first pan-Arab production with those established traditions," Amralla added. "But this is certainly a good beginning."

Three box offices are currently open for business: at the CNN Building Lobby in Dubai Media City from 11 am to 6 pm until December 6, and until 8 pm during the Festival; at the Madinat Theatre in the Souk at Madinat Jumeirah from 11 am to 9 pm until December 6 and until 10.30 pm during the Festival; and at the Mercato mall from 10 am to 6.30 pm until December 6, and until 10.30 pm during the Festival.

Additional box offices will open on December 7 at the Madinat Arena, and at the Auditorium at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel on December 8.

Telephone bookings and orders can be made with the Box Office on (04) 367 6701 / (04) 367 6707 for advance bookings and directions to box office venues.

The Dubai International Film Festival will be held between December 6 and 11, 2004, and will feature approximately 75 films including features, retrospectives and short films. The Festival is divided into 10 distinct programs, each focusing on a particular Festival theme. DIFF is presented by Dubai Media City and its presenting sponsors are Dubai Duty Free, Emirates, Madinat Jumeirah Arabian Resort-Dubai, and Nakheel.  DIFF Gold Sponsors are DOM International, The Kanoo Group and National Bank of Dubai, and Silver Sponsors are Arabian Radio Network, Atlas Telecom, Dubai Radio Network, E-Vision and Motivate Publishing.

Media Note:
A special Web site has been created exclusively for members of the press at www.dubaifilmfest.com/press.html. The site contains an archive of press releases and clippings in Arabic and English, in addition to high-resolution images available for download. Stills downloaded from the site are for promotional purposes only and any usage must include a credit as being courtesy of the rights holder.

-Ends-

About Dubai Media City
Strategically located in Dubai at the crossroads of the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, Dubai Media City is rapidly emerging as the region's media hub.  The City provides an advanced infrastructure and supportive environment for media-related businesses to operate globally out of Dubai.  Dubai Media City is the place where every kind of media business, specifically - Publishing & Printing, Music, Film, New Media, Leisure & Entertainment, Broadcasting, Media & Marketing Services, and Information Agencies will thrive. The facility offers an environment that allows companies and individuals to operate with collective synergy and freedom. 

Since its official opening in January 2001, Dubai Media City has grown tremendously to become a thriving media community of over 850 companies and more than 75 freelance media professionals. Several global media giants and promising entrepreneurial ventures have joined the Dubai Media City community. Three quarters of the media community represents regional and international media companies.   Dubai Media City - Freedom to Create

For further information, please contact:
Deepa Asnani
Dubai Media City
Tel: +9714 391 4548
Fax: +9714 391 4589
Email: deepa.asnani@dubaimediacity.ae
www.dubaifilmfest.com

Or

Mare Elston
ASDA'A Public Relations
Dubai,
UAE
Tel: +971-4-3344550
Fax: +971-4-3344556
M: +971-50-6521236
E-mail: M.Elston@asdaa.com

© Press Release 2004