The Arab Entertainment Experience, which its founders describe as the Middle East’s first crowd-generated film project, was announced at the 14th Dubai International Film festival on Tuesday by companies FCCE and Arab Format Lab-Ritix.

The Arab Entertainment Experience (AEE) is a talent development project that will create a user-generated film made by the public, led by acclaimed Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah, with the guidance of a team of industry professionals and the Arab world’s most talented film-makers.

The AEE project will be launched in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, following in the footsteps of previous editions of the Entertainment Experience in the Netherlands, China and Turkey.

"This project is a pioneering step in talent development for the creative film industry, and we hope it will open new horizons,” Nasrallah said, according to the press release.

The AEE will rely on the public to complete a movie script initiated by the renowned director, through registering on a special digital platform that handles user-generated content.

Justus Verkerk, CEO of TV production and distribution company FCC said that the project will “facilitate and engage young and talented people for almost 9 months. And for many of them it could be a life changing event because suddenly they can show and share their talent.

This project is about the journey of making a movie; the crowd will write, act, direct and compose their own story. This will definitely be a next step of the industry in the MENA region!” 

Contestants will have the chance to have their version of the script evaluated, while the winning scripts will work alongside Nasrallah to create a professional film for theatrical release.

A television show of 13 episodes will air the process of making the film, leading up to the final film’s release in cinemas.

In parallel, there will be on the ground masterclasses and workshops open for all participants to attend.

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