Abu Dhabi Film Festival has called a pitch for both its advertising and media accounts.
The annual celebration of film, which changed its name from the Middle East International Film Festival in April, used Mindshare for media duties last year, while US-based brand communications shop Unison provided media relations and print work.
Peyman Sharifi, the festival’s marketing manager, confirmed that the pitches were taking place and that the review was part of a strategy to raise the festival’s profile following its re-branding. It is understood that three or four media agencies and the same number of creative agencies will be involved in the pitches, which is currently at the RFP stage.
Abu Dhabi Film Festival adopted its new name in order to strengthen the connection between the festival and its home, according to the event’s senior management. Following the re-branding, Eissa Saif Rashed al-Mazrouei, the festival’s project director, said: “Abu Dhabi has become a common denominator in many of the region’s boldest cultural projects and the film festival is one of them. That is why we wanted the new name to reflect a shared vision of the city as a destination where the regional and international film industry comes together to share and discover some of the stunning new films now being made in the Arab world.
“Our new branding also takes inspiration from the spirit of cultural dialogue to which we aspire here. We have chosen an identity that invokes openness, vision and creativity radiating outwards, mirroring the key objectives of the festival.”
The festival was launched in 2007. This year’s event takes place from 14-23 October.