'CulturAll Conversations' focuses on film industry

The Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, DCT Abu Dhabi, continues its series of virtual panel discussions, CulturAll Conversations, with a one-to-one session focused on the film industry.

Featuring a discussion between Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, DCT Abu Dhabi Chairman, and the Emmy Award-winning Hollywood producer Jason Blum, CulturAll Conversations: Picturing the Future will be live-streamed via the Abu Dhabi Culture YouTube Channel at 9 pm (UAE time) on Wednesday 16th September.

Blum has produced over 75 films and TV series throughout his career. He is the founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, a multi-media production company responsible for the film Paranormal Activity, as well as The Purge, Insidious, and Sinister franchises, which together have grossed more than $1.2 billion worldwide. In television, Blumhouse's shows include Ascension, Eye Candy, and South of Hell, and Blum won an Emmy Award for producing HBO's The Normal Heart. Before Blumhouse, Blum served as co-head of the Acquisitions and Co-Productions department at Miramax Films in New York.

The wide-ranging discussion will cover a number of topics, from the long-standing, international popularity of the horror genre and its varied critical reception, to the crisis that has hit all facets of Hollywood with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Blum will also speak about his career trajectory, providing insights into his experience finding success in the film industry, and discuss strategies and tactics used by his production company.

"In our quest to explore and debate all facets of the arts, with this next CulturAll discussion we are tackling a new creative sector, that of motion pictures and television," said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi. "Our esteemed guest Jason Blum is a Hollywood trailblazer, and I am very much looking forward to this conversation and the chance to hear about his path to success in one of the most notoriously competitive industries in the world. Certainly, for those active or aspiring to work in our young but rapidly growing local film industry, this is an unmissable opportunity to glean insights and advice and identify strategies that may be applied here, in our own productions. I encourage anyone with an interest in cinema and television to tune in to what will certainly be a fascinating and helpful discussion."

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