From Cannes: Rocket Science and Front Row Filmed Entertainment Form YALLA YALLA, a Dubai-Based Film and Television Company

Middle East distributor and producer Front Row Filmed Entertainment and preeminent international filmed entertainment company Rocket Science have entered into a joint venture to form YALLA YALLA, a Dubai based film and television company focused on Arabic language entertainment.

The entity will develop, package, produce and finance television and feature film projects for the rapidly expanding Middle East and North Africa territory, with a view to expanding beyond the region. The team has already been active in acquiring remake rights as well as developing original content for both theatrical and television with the aim of having four feature films and two television series produced within the first eighteen months.


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Together, Rocket Science will leverage its talent, producing and financing relationships in the US and Europe, while Front Row and its partner, Kuwait National Cinema Company, will harness their regional relationships with filmmakers, tastemakers and financiers.

The company will collaborate with former Wild Bunch Head of Acquisitions, Rita Dagher who will serve as a Creative Producer. Dagher's credits include A Prayer Before Dawn, Miss Julie, Four Lions, and Fahrenheit 9/11. She is concurrently in the process of staffing up the companies Dubai presence.

Gianluca Chakra of Front Row Filmed Entertainment, and Rocket Science's Thorsten Schumacher said: "Establishing this new venture felt natural to us and the timing couldn't be more perfect. Both company's complementary expertise, relationships and positioning create a solid foundation to make this company thrive as the leading content player in the Middle East as the MENA market expands. Rita's experience and knowledge in the region and internationally will be key in identifying projects and local talent and bringing these projects to life."


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Rita Dagher added: "The Middle East, including North Africa, thrives with powerful stories waiting to be told. Yalla Yalla will provide a home for a new wave of exciting and diverse filmmakers with unique voices to tell their stories and embrace all kinds of genres and formats. Our intention is to encourage filmmakers to go into new directions and be part of, not just the Arab world, but also an international one."

Rocket Science is having a busy market, with their production/finance/sales slate including: Ana Lily Amirpour's reboot of Cliffhanger; Hallie Meyer's Shyer's Goodrich starring Michael Keaton; Azazel Jacobs' French Exit starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges and Tracy Letts; Michael Wech and Hanns-Bruno Kammertöns's documentary Schumacher based on Formula One driver Michael Schumacher; Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly's Queenpins starring Leslie Jones and Kristen Bell; Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7 with Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen and Seth Rogen; Amirpour's Blood Moon starring Kate Hudson; Gary Shore's Queen Mary; and Jonathan Jakubowicz's Resistance starring Jesse Eisenberg, which is currently in post-production.

About Rocket Science

Established in London, 2016, ROCKET SCIENCE has quickly attained global recognition as one of the preeminent international filmed entertainment companies. Since its inception, it has financed, produced, packaged and sold over two dozen critically acclaimed and commercially successful films.


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ROCKET SCIENCE leverages a deep talent and producer pool, propelling it to thrive as one of the few Europe-based entertainment companies that consistently bring top-tier talent packages to the marketplace. With proven taste and an objective driven approach, ROCKET SCIENCE continues to create a diverse range of compelling content with strong global appeal for modern film and television audiences.

ROCKET SCIENCE's multi-disciplinary practice includes development, financing, marketing and sales, and distribution, across all media platforms. 2019 is proving to be yet another strong-growth year for ROCKET SCIENCE as it embarks upon significant territorial expansion into regional markets worldwide and undertakes substantial expansion into developing, packaging and producing more top tier projects.

Recent projects include: Julian Schnabel's At Eternity's Gate, starring Willem Dafoe who was nominated for an Academy Award® for his turn as Vincent van Gogh; David Lowery's The Old Man and the Gun, starring Robert Redford; and Karyn Kusama's Destroyer starring Nicole Kidman.


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About Front Row Filmed Entertainment

15 year-old Front Row Filmed Entertainment is known for its cutting edge taste, innovative marketing, and diversified distribution strategies. It consistently acquires over 120 titles a year on an all rights basis, while releasing 45 theatrical titles over the same period, including top-notch local language releases through its partnership with the Kuwait National Cinema Company. Front Row entered the production world by acquiring the Arabic language remake rights of the Italian smash hit "PERFECT STRANGERS" (Perfetti Sconosciuti), which they will co-produce and distribute with Empire International and Film Clinic, and the Egyptian/British co-production "LUXOR" starring ANDREA RISEBOROUGH, KARIM SALEH and SHERINE REDA also in partnership with Film Clinic.

ROCKET SCIENCE and FRONT ROW are currently collaborating on the development and production of QUEEN MARY and CLIFFHANGER among other titles which will be announced soon.

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