MUMBAI: At an industry event held at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), officials of the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts (RSICA) officially announced that the new post-graduate facility will accept applications for September courses from 17 February, 2008.

The Institute, located in Aqaba, Jordan, is a fully-accredited graduate school offering a Master of Fine Arts in Cinematic Arts. It will combine career development and business skills with advanced education in cinema, television and a wide range of screen-based media.

Initiated by His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan, the school is a partnership with the prestigious University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, engineered by the Royal Film Institute of Jordan.

The two-year MFA program will provide the burgeoning regional film industry with highly trained professionals in all aspects of pre-production, production and post-production. Admission is open to holders of Bachelor’s Degrees in any subject demonstrating their creative potential through a portfolio (not limited to film or media work) and interview.

The RSICA degree will include practical and theoretical components, and the first students will graduate in 2010.