• This strategic partnership will leverage the traction from the Bangalore-founded academy, following the successful inaugural I-Film Festival held in 2024 in Abu Dhabi

• Bringing the first permanent overseas base for the organisation at the Yas Creative Hub, the academy will offer year-round training opportunities and weekend masterclasses from state-of-the-art facilities

• In addition, the partnership secures two annual editions of I-Film Festival including this year from 11-13 April to celebrate excellence in film innovation

Abu Dhabi, UAE – 12 February 2025: The Creative Media Authority today announced a strategic partnership with the Innovative Film Academy (IFA), founders of I-Film Festival (IFF), which will bolster the creative ecosystem in Abu Dhabi through learning and development opportunities and annual film festivals.

The partnership will also deliver on multiple economic fronts from driving tourism to delivering additional employment opportunities within the film and production industry of Abu Dhabi.

IFA and the Creative Media Authority will partner to offer the first overseas “campus” of the IFA from Yas Creative Hub in Abu Dhabi, where year-round learning opportunities offer the chance to upskill in a studio lab for practical hands-on learning under the watchful eye of the IFA’s technical team. Students from across the world will be able to attend IFA Abu Dhabi to take courses in VFX, editing, sound mixing and recording, DI, CG to produce 4K content. The academy will offer classrooms, equipment and a physical and digital library to support the annual programme of workshops and weekend masterclasses.

With the inaugural I-Film Festival happening last year in Abu Dhabi, the partnership ensures this year’s festival from 11-13 April and an additional festival in 2026. Each event will attract thousands of attendees to view more than 100 film screenings, multiple workshops and celebrate short film entrees of more than 400.

“As the Creative Media Authority continues to host Indian film production via the Abu Dhabi Film Commission, as part of our efforts to become a leading content and production hub, this partnership will ensure we are fuelling additional growth by upskilling our current roster of talent, nurturing new talent into the industry and providing additional employment opportunities,” commented Khalid Khouri, Director of Industry Development at Creative Media Authority.

“Through this strategic partnership there will be added economic benefits as students from across the globe attend the IFA in Abu Dhabi and film festival attendees fly in for the occasion, these benefits work alongside the educational and innovative enhancements of the local film ecosystem which this collaboration will bring,” continued Khouri.

Mr. Saravana Prasad, Founder of the Innovative Group: "Following the inaugural I-Film Festival in spring this year, we identified a real appetite for innovation, collaboration and excellence from the production and film industry in Abu Dhabi. The partnership we have embarked upon with Creative Media Authority will mean we can take full advantage of Abu Dhabi’s strategic location between the East and West and provide our unique educational offering to students across the globe in an environment which is safe, welcoming and supportive. We will also look to work extensively with existing educational institutions on the ground in Abu Dhabi and host local schools and universities to our state-of-the-art academy."

The IFA was founded in 2015 in Bangalore, India and to date has trained over 2,000 students across 24 different filmmaking disciplines, offering both a comprehensive one-year diploma and weekend courses to accommodate diverse learning needs. Recognised as a Centre of Excellence in filmmaking by the Government of India and the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), IFA is committed to supporting students beyond traditional education by actively connecting them with industry opportunities, helping them secure positions in the competitive world of filmmaking.

To register for IFF 2025 visit https://ifilmfestivalabudhabi.com.