Singapore-based media investment holding company Vistas Media Capital (VMC) on Monday announced its expansion plans in the Middle East region across the media and entertainment sector and investment management initiative for investors in the MENA region.
VMC has set up Vistas Media FZ-LLC in the Abu Dhabi Media Free Zone’s “twofour54” for content and entertainment events production services in the region, and also plans to move to twofour54’s new tailor-made campus Yas Creative Hub after it opens later this year.
The content production services arm of Vistas Media FZ-LLC will focus on creating local content in close collaboration with local creative talent, along with providing and facilitating pre-filming, production and post-production services for Arabic, Bollywood (along with other Indian regional languages) and Hollywood Films in Abu Dhabi.
The event production services vertical will be launching the first “Abu Dhabi Media Fest” in Q1 2022 – a nine-day mega event which would include:
• A film festival showcasing films from the South Asian and MENA region selected by an international jury,
• A film market bringing together filmmakers, investors, and content buyers
• Masterclasses and workshops across filmmaking, acting, production, animation, and visual effects,
• Gala music concerts bringing together the best of South Asian and Arab world musicians on a common platform,
• A gala closing ceremony with a Film Awards Night showcasing the best of MENA and South Asian films.
Vistas Media FZ-LLC will be headed by Piiyush Singh who is also the co-founder of VMC. In a statement, he said, “So far, we have successfully built and grown the Indian content production, distribution and media investment business and invested in select Hollywood productions. The strategic location of Abu Dhabi allows us to continue to deepen our footprint in India and also expand our experience, network and offerings in the Arab world through producing / co-producing and supporting local content makers to create high quality content.
“In recent years, Asian content from India, Korea, China and other markets have reached a wider global audience with the boom in digital content consumption. The timing is now perfect for quality Arabic content to reach a wider global audience.”
VMC successfully launched the Singapore South Asian International Film Festival (SG.SAIFF) and the South Asian Film Market (SAFM) in 2017 and has built a significant brand name for itself over the last three years.
Through the newly established Abu Dhabi entity, the company now plans to organise the Abu Dhabi Media Fest which will be executed on a much larger scale and bring together the best of MENA and South Asian content and artists.
In a statement, Mr. Abhayanand Singh, Group CEO Vistas Media Capital, said, “Post the landmark Anghami transaction, we have received overwhelming responses from the Abu Dhabi Media Authority and the wider investor community in the MENA region. We have so far focused on and deployed our resources and investments in building various media and entertainment verticals across India and Singapore, including our first SPAC on Nasdaq. We now wish to expand our global footprint by leveraging this support and demand from MENA to further strengthen our businesses and take Vistas Media Capital, a homegrown Singapore company, global.”
Katrina Anderson, Director of Commercial Services at twofour54 Abu Dhabi, said: “We are excited to welcome a significant and respected player on the global media stage such as VMC to Abu Dhabi. This is a key moment for the capital’s fast-growing media and entertainment sector, which reinforces its position as the region’s beacon for quality content creation. Being at the centre of the world’s fastest-growing populations, the demand for high quality Arabic and international content is on the rise, representing tangible growth opportunities for media companies across the globe. We very much look forward to witnessing the positive impact that VMC will create within the regional media landscape right from the heart of Abu Dhabi.”