Jun 8, 2022

Barajun Entertainment and Shaheed Announce Ambitious Plans for Arabic Animation

Arabic streaming platform Shahid is collaborating with Dubai-based animation and VFX studio Barajoun Entertainment to produce original Arabic-language productions. [All five films will be distributed exclusively on Shahid VIP under the Shahid Originals category.

According to both companies, the goal of the collaboration is to grow and promote original Arabic-language animation. They also hope to provide a platform to mentor and support up-and-coming animators and content creators in the region by endorsing diverse stories that are not only relevant to the local Arabic market, but also to the rest of the world.

Details on the five projects are scarce, but we do know that the first collaboration between the two will appear on the Shahid VIP streaming service this July. Based on an unpublished science fiction novel, the film will feature well-known Arab actors as voice actors. [Tareq Al-Ibrahim, director of MBC1, MBC Drama, and Shahid VIP Content, explains the collaboration: "We are very excited about this collaboration. One of our missions has always been to tell the world the diverse and eclectic stories of our region and to share our great heritage, civilization, culture and lifestyle with a global audience." [Ayman Jamal, founder and producer of Barajun Entertainment, added, "This is an important move that will encourage the development of the entire animation industry in the region. At Barajun, we support the process and production of unique and purposeful content produced to the highest technical and technological standards. shahid is the world's leading Arabic streaming platform, and this collaboration has enabled us to bring together the best in scriptwriting, graphic design, modeling, We look forward to contributing to the development of Saudi and Arab talent in all areas of expertise in this important industry that attracts audiences around the world, including scriptwriting, graphic design, modeling, animation, and acting and voice acting."

Jamal founded Barajun in 2011 with the goal of making it the leading producer of CG character animation and VFX in the Middle East. There he produced 2015's Bilal: A New Breed of Hero, the first CG animation produced in the United Arab Emirates.