Emmys come to the capital

As excitement mounts in the United States with Thursday's list of the Emmy Award nominees, Abu Dhabi is more interested in its sister awards: The International Emmys.

Over 30 industry stalwarts will be in the capital from July 21, for three days, to select the winning entries in the semi-final round with the finals on November 25 in New York. The Abu Dhabi event will be hosted by Tarif Sayed's award-winning film production company, The Frame, with sessions being conducted at the Cultural Foundation.

"We'll be judging television shows from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Europe," Sayed tells Emirates Business. "Entries fall under one of three categories: children and young people, non-scripted entertainment and documentaries."

Without giving away any programme names, Sayed does confirm a UAE-produced documentary has made it to the shortlist.

The 38-year-old, who is also the ambassador for the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the UAE says hosting such a prestigious event here will raise the region's profile.

"Emmy Awards are the Oscars of TV and bringing the brand here, albeit the international version, will give us the recognition and pave the way for more events ," says Sayed.

"The goal is to create infrastructure to facilitate Hollywood productions, which can benefit the economy."

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