UK film studio to set up shop in Bahrain

Twickenham Films, the London-based firm behind the recently announced US$97m Saladin movie, will open an office in Bahrain, as it looks to produce more films in the Arab world, the firm has said. Twickenham Films, a production arm of the Twickenham Film Group, will work alongside its sister company Oasis Film Fund in Bahrain. “Bahrain was selected by Twickenham Film Group as the perfect Gulf country in which to establish the company’s planned Middle Eastern-based office, due to its strategic location in the Arab world,” a statement said. The announcement follows weeks after the firm announced plans for ten new productions, many of which will be shot in and partly on location in the Middle East.   The films will receive funding from the Oasis Film Fund, established in February specifically to tap wealthy Arab investors. The fund aims to build up a minimum rolling fund of GBP£200m (US$323.4m) for investment into Anglo-Arab film productions over the next 12 months. The firm in February said it would look to cast Hollywood actor George Clooney to play the title role in its multimillion dollar movie, Saladin. Saladin tells the story of the 12th century warrior king and his fight against Richard the Lionheart in the Third Crusade. Ralph Fiennes will be cast as Richard the Lionheart.