BBC Studios and MBC STUDIOS announce “Al Maktab”, the first Arabic-language version of award-winning comedy, “The Office”

31 May 2022

BBC Studios and MBC STUDIOS announce “Al Maktab”, the first Arabic-language version of award-winning comedy, “The Office”

BBC Studios and MBC STUDIOS – the in-house premium content production arm of MBC GROUP – the largest and leading media company in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have announced a new scripted format agreement that will see the BAFTA and Golden Globe award-winning comedy series, “The Office” remade for audiences across the Arab world.

Titled “Al Maktab”, the Saudi-led version of the comedy will be produced by MBC STUDIOS, with support from the BBC Studios international production team who have licensed the format.

Scheduled to begin filming this June (2022), the Arabic-language series is to be directed by renowned Egyptian filmmaker Hisham Fathi, with Alessandro Martella as director of photography (DoP) and AFLAM Productions’ Shadi Mcdad as producer.

André Renaud, SVP Format Sales for BBC Studios said: “Although office working may look slightly different for many of us in 2022, the familiarity of these well-observed characters as they navigate petty rivalries, moments of friendship and humour, and a boss that sometimes makes a fool of themselves still rings just as true. I’m sure audiences in the Middle East and the Gulf will take Malik and his team to their hearts as much as audiences did with David Brent in the UK over twenty years ago”.

“Audiences around the world, including in the MENA region, are no strangers to ‘The Office’, and given its huge success over the past two decades, it’s incredibly exciting for us to now be bringing the very first Arabic version of the comedy to MBC’s screens very soon,” said Zeinab Abul Alsamh – General Manager of MBC STUDIOS KSA. “’Al Maktab’ features a very talented cast from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and beyond who will bring the stories of this eccentric group of colleagues and their boss to life, reimagined for Middle Eastern and Gulf audiences for the very first time. It’s definitely one for the history books!”

A fly-on-the-wall style mocumentary, the original version of “The Office” was written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, and first aired in the UK over 20 years ago. The agreement with MBC STUDIOS and BBC Studios will mark the 12^th international sale of the format, alongside other territories including the US, Canada, Chile, France, India and most recently in Poland.

In the Saudi adaptation, “Al Maktab” is set in a courier services company, with the main character played by Saleh Abuamrh. He plays Malik Al-Tuwaifi, the self-absorbed yet loveable boss.

Also joining the cast are Fahad Albutairi, Nawaf Alshobaili, Saad Aziz, Adhwa Fahad, Razan Mansour, Reem Busati, Hisham Hawsawi, and others.

The twenty-part series will broadcast on MBC’s TV channels, and stream via Shahid VIP – the world’s leading Arabic streaming platform – later this year.

[Source: MBC press release]

NHK WORLD Japan Monthly Focus – June

31 May 2022

NHK WORLD Japan Monthly Focus – June

SHOHEI OHTANI: A Baseball Virtuoso

NHK has followed baseball sensation Shohei Ohtani closely since his 2018 Major League debut. We look at Ohtani’s ability to both pitch and bat at the highest level. We hear from those who have supported him on and off the field and examine the importance of his father’s training regime. Join us behind the scenes at such pivotal points as Ohtani’s battle to recover from elbow surgery and reclaim his place as a baseball virtuoso like no other.

June 12 Sun.

0:10 / 6:10 / 12:10 / 18:10

Digital Eye #01

Ukraine, How Satellites Changed the War

The first episode of our new flagship program Digital Eye focuses on Ukraine. Satellite imagery has helped reveal Russian troop movements and the destruction and humanitarian crisis left in their wake. We look at the way experts and ordinary people sift through such images and other data as part of open-source intelligence efforts. We also examine how smartphones record things on the ground and images and information are spread around the world via communication satellites.

June 18 Sat.

0:10 / 6:10 / 12:10 / 18:10

J-MELO

Japan’s exciting music scene! Pop, rock, traditional and more! Live performances, artist interviews, plus all the latest news!

Sundays

15:10 / 20:10 / 3:30 / 9:30　　

DESIGN TALKS plus

What is good design? And what is its power? From traditional to cutting edge, we explore Japanese designs that are literally shaping our lives.

Thursdays

1:30 / 6:30 / 12:30 / 17:30 / 22:30

[Source: NHK WORLD press release]

DW Global Media Forum 2022 kicks off in Bonn on June 20

31 May 2022

DW Global Media Forum 2022 kicks off in Bonn on June 20

More than 100 experts from all over the world will be “shaping the future of journalism in times of crisis and war” at the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum 2022. DW’s annual media convention will open its doors from June 20 to 21 at the World Conference Center Bonn (WCCB) in Bonn, Germany and bring together global leaders as well as professionals from media, government, technology, and civil society.

Among those who will tackle global media challenges and advance solutions for resilient societies are Nobel Peace laureate Maria Ressa from the Philippines, German Minister of State for Culture and Media Claudia Roth, Ukrainian journalist Angelina Kariakina, Brazilian investigative journalist Patricia Toledo de Campos Mello.

Taiwan’s Digital Minister Audrey Tang, Lutz Güllner, Head of Strategic Communications and Information Analysis European External Action Service, as well as Head of News Partnerships for Central Europe at Meta, Guido Bülow, will discuss the current role of technology in media and civil societies. Editors-in-chief from leading news outlets as well as scholars and media professionals from newspapers such as the Guardian and Süddeutsche Zeitung or broadcasters such as WDR, NDR and DW will share their extensive knowledge of the challenges and opportunities for journalism.

A list of confirmed speakers can be found here.

Discussion topics range from climate crisis and digital activism to war and pandemic journalism. Artificial Intelligence, fact-checking, political agenda-setting and representation in media also take center stage. The start-up contest @GMF focusses on new tech designed to foster resilient journalism and civil societies in times of rapid change. Start-ups, entrepreneurs and talent in media technology and innovation will showcase their work as a central feature of the DW Global Media Forum.

Learn more about the program and view sessions here.

Against a backdrop of the war in Ukraine, the GMF will spotlight the challenges of reporting from the front lines by hosting award-winning war correspondents who covered stories first-hand from war zones in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and beyond. Journalists from Germany, Ukraine and Russia, such as Paul Ronzheimer, Angelina Kariakina, Tetiana Kyselchuk, Mikhail Zygar and Maria Makeeva will share how they cope with reporting on the war.

Participants will also join DW in honoring Ukrainian AP journalists Mstyslav Chernov and Evgeniy Maloletka with its Freedom of Speech Award in recognition of their courageous reporting from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol. The award ceremony will be co-hosted by Jodie Ginsberg, president of the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Ensaf Haidar, Saudi-Canadian human rights activist and president of the Raif Badawi Foundation for Freedom.

Learn more about the Freedom of Speech Award here.

The annual meeting will also bring together younger generations of journalists, with a tribute to the honorees of the ARD.ZDF Media Academy’s “Women and Media Technology” award comprising successful female graduates from German, Austrian and Swiss universities in the fields of technology, engineering, and media studies.

About GMF

The DW Global Media Forum offers a unique interdisciplinary platform for media professionals as well as decision-makers from politics, civil society, culture, education, business, and science from all over the world to get together and to learn from each other as part of an intercultural exchange since 2008. The Global Media Forum is sponsored by the German Federal Foreign Office, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Stiftung Internationale Begegnung der Sparkasse in Bonn, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the City of Bonn.

[Source: DW]

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa to open DW Global Media Forum 2022

19 May 2022

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa to open DW Global Media Forum 2022

Philippine journalist and 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa is set to open DW’s Global Media Forum (GMF) in Bonn, Germany on June 20 with the keynote speech, “What are you willing to sacrifice for the truth?”

Under the motto “Shaping tomorrow, now,” journalists, media professionals, politicians and scientists will meet for two days at the hybrid event held at the World Conference Center Bonn (WCCB).

For information on registration and conference program, please visit the GMF website.

Hundreds of media professionals, politicians, tech experts and activists from across the globe will once again convene in the former German Bundestag in Bonn to debate pressing media issues. Topics on the agenda include panels and workshops on press freedom, war reporting, constructive journalism and social resilience.

GMF 2022 participants

Among the guests are German Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth and her G7 counterparts, Taiwanese Digital Minister Audrey Tang, Ulrik Haagerup, founder and CEO of the Constructive Institute in Aarhus/Denmark, Gerrit Rabenstein, head of DACH News Partnerships Google, Brazilian investigative journalist Patricia Toledo de Campos Mello, Russian opposition politician and digital expert Leonid Volkov, Ukrainian journalist Angelina Kariakina, Minister President of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) Hendrik Wüst, and Jodie Ginsberg, president of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

For the expected 1,200 participants workshops will also be held by numerous DW partners, including media companies and universities from NRW. This year, the heads of Germany’s journalism schools have chosen the Global Media Forum (GMF) for their annual meeting.

For the virtual audience, the GMF offers exclusive online sessions by renowned experts who share their knowledge on topics such as censorship detection, fact-checking and storytelling. For this purpose, DW has collaborated with intermediary organizations such as the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Goethe Institute, as well as international institutions such as the Nas Academy or Teyit from Turkey.

Verica Spasovska, DW Head of Events: “With this year’s hybrid event format, we have created a forum that brings people together in person while allowing the global community to participate virtually.”

Award ceremonies

Another highlight will be the award ceremony for this year’s DW Freedom of Speech Award presented to Ukrainian journalists Mstyslav Chernov and Evgeniy Maloletka. To find out more, click here.

At the @GMF start-up competition, entrepreneurial minds present their business ideas to an international audience. The concepts focus on new technologies to promote resilient journalism and a stable civil society in times of rapid change. The application is open until May 15.

For the first time, the ARD and ZDF Media Academy’s “Women and Media Technology Award” will also be presented as part of the GMF. This award honors successful female graduates from German, Austrian and Swiss universities in the fields of technology and engineering, media studies and other subjects related to media technology. More information could be found at: www.ard-zdf-foerderpreis.de

The Global Media Forum is sponsored by the German Federal Foreign Office, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Stiftung Internationale Begegnung der Sparkasse in Bonn, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the City of Bonn.

[Source: DW press release]

Margaret Hoover and Kristin Lord join RFE/RL’s Board of Directors

19 May 2022

Margaret Hoover and Kristin Lord join RFE/RL’s Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) welcomes journalist and commentator Margaret Hoover and nonprofit executive Kristin Lord as new Board Members, effective April 26, 2022.

Amb. Karen Kornbluh, the Chair of the RFE/RL Board, said, “I am thrilled to welcome Margaret and Kristin to the Board at this pivotal moment for RFE/RL and the 23-country region we serve. They bring years of journalism, foreign policy, and regional expertise to the Board, and perfectly complement the exceptional breadth of talent already supporting and serving RFE/RL’s mission.”

Margaret Hoover is the host of the PBS program “Firing Line with Margaret Hoover,” a revival of the iconic television series hosted by William F. Buckley Jr. for 33 years. A CNN political commentator, Ms. Hoover served in The White House under President George W. Bush, in the Department of Homeland Security, on Capitol Hill, and on two presidential campaigns. She is the President of American Unity Fund, a political organization focused on achieving full freedom and equality for LGBT Americans, as well as the bestselling author of American Individualism: How a New Generation of Conservatives Can Save the Republican Party. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Daily News, The Daily Beast, CNN.com, and FoxNews.com. Ms. Hoover serves on the boards of Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, the Hoover Presidential Foundation, and the Belgian American Educational Foundation.

Kristin Lord is the President and CEO of IREX, a global education and development non-profit organization that promotes more just, prosperous, and inclusive societies by investing in people and the conditions that help them to thrive. She brings more than 25 years of experience in the fields of education, foreign policy, global development, and security and peacebuilding to this role. Prior to joining IREX in 2014, Kristin served in leadership roles at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Center for a New American Security (CNAS), Brookings Institution, and George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. She has also served in a senior advisory role at the U.S. Department of State and recently completed a term as a Trustee of the American University in Cairo. Kristin currently serves as a board member of the United States Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) and Interaction, an alliance of international NGOs and partners that serve the world’s poor and vulnerable.

Hoover and Lord join an RFE/RL Board that, in addition to Chairman Kornbluh, includes former U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, “American Purpose” editor in chief and former RFE/RL President Jeff Gedmin, public relations executive Michael Kempner, and current RFE/RL President Jamie Fly.

RFE/RL, Inc. is a private nonprofit corporation incorporated in the State of Delaware. Its Board of Directors makes all major policy determinations governing RFE/RL’s operations. Each member of the RFE/RL Board of Directors is required by federal law to have “requisite expertise in journalism, technology, broadcasting, or diplomacy, or appropriate language or cultural understanding” relevant to RFE/RL’s mission. Employees of U.S. government agencies are prohibited by law from serving on the RFE/RL Board.

[Source: RFE/RL press release]