MUMBAI: Pyramedia has undertaken an initiative aimed at contributing to building a sustainable film industry within the Gulf region. The media production company headquartered in Abu Dhabi provided two trainers, as part of their official sponsorship of a workshop training filmmakers in conjunction with The British Council Audio-Visual workshop.

The workshop, which ran from 18 – 22 July was intended to provide an intense dose of training on script writing, production and direction. The workshop began with a search for Saudi filmmakers to participate in the event, who would eventually produce short films by the end of the workshop. The workshop was conducted by two trainers from Pyramedia; Bader Ben Hirsi, the British-Yemeni Director whose film A New Day in Old Sana’a won the Best Film Award and Best Director at the Cairo Film Festival in 2005; and Mohammed Al Darajy, whose film Dreams won him the Spirit Award and the Best Feature Film award at the Gulf Film Festival 2008 in Dubai.

"As a media company opting to help establish the cinema industry in the gulf region, we are joining hands the British Council to provide highly professional industry calibers to train and prepare a new generation of filmmakers around the Arab world," said Nashwa Al Ruwaini, CEO of Pyramedia.