Two UAE based individuals have launched 'Aflamnah' (Our Films), which aims to support Arab talent through fund raising and marketing projects, via a website, Facebook page and Twitter.
Aflamnah.com is the first digital platform dedicated to crowdfunding in and for the Arab World. It aims to help filmmakers, artists, geeks, students, musicians, gamers, innovators, thinkers and others to raise funds for their projects.
"We hope you are curious enough to look around, confident enough to share your ideas, inspired enough to take part and brave enough to start," says the creator's public message.
The creators keep their identities anonymous, and about themselves they say:
"We are two individuals whose favourite cartoon characters are Road Runner and Tweety... We really want you to know us personally so we hope you can see yourselves in some of what we have tried to capture about ourselves. These are some of the things that make us feel good about life and ourselves: a clear blue sky, dinner with friends, a good TV show, a great conversation, a poem, a movie or a book that moves us and makes us want to change things for the better. We love helping people, we love thinking, we value practical intelligence to solve problems and find solutions. We love passing knowledge on and praising others – if we criticize it is always with the best intention."
Through Aflamnah, both UAE art enthusiasts wish to break the financial obstacle that faces young Arab artists.
"We also have a strange relationship with money. We know it opens doors and shuts others and makes some things possible more easily but we are not obsessed with it. We think there are some really great ideas out there: compelling stories to share, fascinating dreams to realise but money is stopping them from happening," their message continues.
"We will allow you to get past that obstacle because what you are doing through Aflamnah is not asking or being asked for money but inspiring or being inspired by ideas that you care about, believe in enough to promote them or to contribute to their realisation and success through Aflamnah," they say.
Through crowdfunding, as Aflamnah puts it, the company has opened a pathway to all artists, having sections for films, arts, photography, music, theatre; in addition to games, applications, events, fashion, and design. All creative ideas are welcome.
Aflamnah.com launched on 1 July 2012 and already has promoted six independent films and has attracted over 50 sponsors from around the world. Those six independent films collectively have raised over USD 5,000 in only eight days since the launch.
Short link: