Advanced Media Trading returned with CINETomorrow, another edition of its digital cinema community event, in January 2024. CINETomorrow served as an interactive intersection of digital cinema, virtual production and sustainability in media and entertainment.The three-day open house from January 11-13 was held at Advanced Media’s Dubai headquarter on Sheikh Zayed Road and welcomed up to 200 filmmakers, visionaries, students, and industry experts everyday who were interested in the tomorrow of the industry. This year Advanced Media welcomed guests from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Algeria, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Kenya, Oman, and Lebanon who had flown in exclusively for the event. Kaveh Farnam, renowned producer and chairperson of Advanced Media commented that “CINETomorrow is an avenue that allows our enthusiastic guests to discover the latest advancements in digital cinema and to learn about sustainability for the first time and adopt green practices such as relying on cutting-edge cloud technology and virtual production.”Advanced Media’s showroom had been converted to accommodate three different sets aptly named “nation”, “nature” and “knowledge” to showcase the range and capabilities of digital cinema equipment in outdoor, indoor, and virtual production settings and compliment the workshops. The sets were intentionally designed to first and foremost pay homage to the rich culture and history of the UAE, and how the exemplary leadership envision the future. “Our commitment to sustainability and community are one of the main reasons that we have set ourselves apart in the industry. Knowledge, education, and development are the cornerstones of Advanced Media’s mission statement. So we really wanted to create environmental awareness throughout the event including the workshops,” remarked Parnian Farnam, Head of CSR at Advanced Media.CINETomorrow included nine workshops of 90 minutes each and broken down into three main themes: “Light, Sound, Action!,” “Behind the Scenes,” and “Future of Cinema.” The free-to-attend workshops attracted up to 65 attendees each. On the first day, Simon Battensby conducted a “Lighting for Drama” workshop followed by “Microphone Selection for Different Film Genres” powered by Sennheiser’s Ryan Burr and sound specialist Simon Charles and culminated with the launch of Sony Burano and “Changing the Way You Shoot Cinema” with Tim Fare-Matthews.Day two covered the crucial steps behind the scenes of a production which had masterfully been curated by Mark ‘Hobz’ Hobson and Mostafa Salah in three workshops. In this series, attendees experienced Red Cameras in action and learnt hands- on about choosing the right optics for a shoot that was later edited in the “Workflow and Post” workshop. Finally, day three focused on how environmental concerns have shifted productions from physical to digital with cloud technology and virtual production. Filipe Pereira, a dynamic figure in the cinema and sustainability scene, dissected the core departments of the industry, evaluated their environmental footprints, and ended by offering solutions that were highlighted by M&E technology expert Iain Churchill-Coleman in workshop powered by Editshare to “Master Remote Production for Video Editors,” and Simon Battensby who emphasized the importance of lighting a virtual production set properly to achieve a convincing final image. While the community event is always brand-agnostic, there were representations from well-known brands such as Sony, DJI, RED, Zeiss, Atomos, and Cooke, and exceptional products were highlighted such Sony Burano, RED Komodo-X, Cooke SP3, Astera LEO and Aputure Electro Storm. “Every event that we do is in service to the brands that we represent and the clients we cater to. We take pride in our ability to bring them all together in our premises,” concluded Alaa Al Rantisi, co-founder of Advanced Media.Advanced Media regularly hosts training workshops and product launches across the UAE and in its regional offices in Riyadh and Cairo. The next CINE event would be in March 2026.

For over two decades, Advanced Media Trading, fondly known as AMT in the industry, has been supporting generations of broadcasters, videographers, photographers, creators, and enthusiasts by offering exceptional services from consultancy, training and sales to installation, repair, and maintenance. Founded in 2002, AMT is presently the largest distributor of professional broadcast, cinema, video and photo equipment and accessories across the Middle East and North Africa.AMT recently launched a new hashtag, #IAMTomorrow, to commemorate the success of two new installments of the CINE series, the region’s only digital cinema community event, and reiterate its commitment to fostering and empowering the talented generation of the Tomorrow. The hashtag was revealed in a campaign video that paid homage to the creative process of a diverse group of young creators from across the media industry in pursuit of goals and dreams that define and shape their tomorrows. The script and cinematography of the reel were executed by yet another young, aspiring, and upcoming DOP, Abderraouf Sebti, who saw this campaign as an opportunity to showcase how AMT fuels these creative dreamers. “As they each interact with the equipment to bring their visions to life, the world around them transforms into a manifestation of their dreams. We follow four different characters across four different platforms to show the scope of their dreams and the reach of AMT,” explains Sebti.The collaborative #IAMTomorrow campaign reel features a group of extremely promising young talent who worked seamlessly as a team over three days at several locations, notably SAE Institute Dubai, Ravenscar Film & Studios, and SkyLight Studio. A photographer, a cinematographer, a singer and audio engineer, and lastly a podcaster are shown one after the other as they flourish in their respective environments and share their accomplishments across social media platforms by expressing that they are in fact the generation of tomorrow using the hashtag. The decision to have Abderraouf Sebti lead this project was in itself another nod to the generation of tomorrow. Sebti is a young creative who operates across multiple media and inspired by all iterations of life and art. “I don’t think there’s something specific that inspires a person to be a creative. I believe that frequent exposure to the right kind of information and experiences nurture and strengthen the process that leads to the production of art. And institutions such as AMT can contribute greatly to that,” he remarks.In addition to introducing the campaign, AMT has also launched a competition that runs until October 31st to award the best three videos submitted using the hashtag #iAMTomorrow with gifts from Sony, Godox and DJI. You can view the video here on Advanced Media’s Instagram account.

Advanced Media welcomed a diverse crowd of 50 students handpicked by their instructors from the SAE Institute, Raindance Film School, University of Wollongong, Canadian University in Dubai, Amity University, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, and Higher Colleges of Technology in the UAE on October 11 – 13 for the launch of CINESchool. This exclusive edition of its digital cinema community event was curated specifically for university students pursuing a degree in filmmaking and coordinated in collaboration with Prague Film School.Prague Film School (PFS) trains aspiring filmmakers and actors through a praxis-heavy curriculum, involving them in numerous productions showcased in top film festivals. The school's ethos combines European art-house and American independent cinema, attracting diverse talent. The first of its kind in the region, CINESchool, was a memorable learning and networking experience for the film students.Prof. Gary Griffin, the award-winning cinematographer and director with an MFA from Prague’s FAMU Film Academy, conducted the very first workshop on October 11th on “Color and Exposure in the Digital Realm.” The session included a theoretical portion and an interactive one on a practical set in Advanced Media’s showroom. The students also had the opportunity to meet with Johan Hellsten, the revolutionary founder of an effective and ergonomic solution for anyone working with handheld camera setups, Easyrig. Johan greeted all the students enthusiastically and provided a complete background and demo of the Easyrig Minimax STABIL Light Camera Support System.Thomas Krivy, seasoned camera assistant and instructor, joined in teaching the “Operating a Camera and Choosing the Right Lens” workshop on October 12th and guided the students through a hands-on experiment with a variety of lenses. He concluded the technical and theoretical aspect of CINESchool on October 13th with “Lighting and Grip” workshop.Raam Reddy, the renowned Indian film director, writer, and photographer who is also a graduate of Prague Film School, carried the students on his journey of becoming a 2016 Locarno Film Festival Golden Leopard Winner filmmaker in a two-part seminar that covered every aspect of independent filmmaking from understanding film as a medium and finding your voice to budgeting and postproduction. Advanced Media converted a corner of its showroom into a private cinema space and treated students to an exclusive screening of Thithi (2015) with a Q&A with Raam Reddy.Organizing and hosting training workshops and community events that educate and inform is an exceptional feature that set Advanced Media apart in the industry. Most notable of the events is the biannual digital cinema community event. After inaugurating a remarkably successful edition in commemoration of the company’s 20th anniversary in March 2022, Advanced Media will be returning on the 11, 12, 13 of January 2024 with CINETomorrow, an interactive platform covering topics such as future of digital cinema and cinematography, virtual production, and sustainable production practices.

Advanced Media, the distributor of professional video, photo, broadcast, and cinema equipment and accessories in the MENA region, marked its presence at the inaugural Saudi Film Confex in Riyadh. This momentous event presented an excellent opportunity for Advanced Media to showcase its latest products and interact with key industry figures.Having expanded into the Saudi Arabian market in 2019 with the inauguration of a state-of-the-art showroom and service center in Riyadh, Advanced Media has been committed to fostering growth in the region. The minimalist design of Advanced Media's booth at the Saudi Film Confex was a testament to the company's reputation as an industry powerhouse, and it attracted an average of 150 attendees daily, including filmmakers, rental houses, producers, content creators, film students, and brand representatives. The exhibition proved to be an ideal platform for Advanced Media to reconnect with existing customers and engage with new prospects. The Advanced Media team unanimously agreed that the Saudi Film Confex has the potential to become even more significant and influential with each passing year.Alaa Al Rantisi, Co-founder and Managing Director of Advanced Media, expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "The Saudi market is young, vibrant, and very eager to learn. The Kingdom is investing substantial resources to create opportunities for this demographic. It is our responsibility to do our part, and we achieve that by showcasing the latest in media technology at exhibitions and organizing workshops and seminars that empower individuals to strengthen their skills and acquire new ones."In addition to its participation in Confex, Advanced Media introduced the Arabic edition of its biannual community digital cinema event, CINESeason. CINESeason was designed to provide aspiring filmmakers, content creators, and enthusiasts with a comprehensive learning experience in various aspects of cinematic filmmaking, offering a chance to engage with industry experts to discuss the latest technologies, trends, and solutions in digital cinema, broadcast, and video ahead of the 4th edition of the Riyadh Season.This immersive two-day event, which took place on October 6th and 7th, 2023, featured four workshops instructed by renowned cinematographers and industry experts, including Fouad Aoun, Mostafa Salah, and the esteemed Egyptian Director of Photography, Ayman Abou el Makarem. These workshops, attended by an average of 50 participants each, were received with great enthusiasm and positivity, as the instructors shared their profound knowledge and provided an engaging learning environment.CINESeason offered an exclusive opportunity for visitors and clients to interact directly with the Advanced Media team in Riyadh and gain firsthand experience of the workshops and seminars that are a hallmark of Advanced Media's commitment to education and innovation.Looking forward to the future, Advanced Media is dedicated to expanding its presence in Saudi Arabia and increasing the frequency and range of workshops, product launches, events, and exhibition participations. These initiatives align with the company's overarching goals of educating, informing, and familiarizing consumers with new equipment and the latest technological advances.In an exciting development, Advanced Media will kickstart 2024 with "CINETomorrow," a series of events to be held from January 11 to 13 in its Dubai showroom and training spaces. Stay tuned for more updates on this upcoming event, as Advanced Media continues its mission to empower and educate the growing media community in the region.

Advanced Media has announced the launch of the Arabic edition of CINESeason in Riyadh. This two-day event, designed to empower aspiring filmmakers and content creators, will take place on October 6th and 7th, 2023, setting the stage for an immersive learning experience in cinematic filmmaking and digital cinema technology.In 2020, Advanced Media Trading introduced CINE, a biannual digital cinema community event that quickly became a focal point for filmmakers, enthusiasts, and industry experts in the GCC and beyond. CINE has since been an invaluable space for professionals and cinephiles to come together, discuss the latest technologies, trends, and solutions in digital cinema, and showcase their skills and creations.Building on its reputation as the leading distributor of video, photo, broadcast, and cinema equipment, Advanced Media is furthering its commitment to the development and education of the media and film community. The launch of the Arabic edition of CINESeason underscores the company's dedication to organizing training workshops, seminars, and community events that inform and familiarize consumers with new equipment and cutting-edge technological advances.CINESeason, set to be held at a prestigious venue in Riyadh, is a comprehensive two-day event that brings together the best and brightest in the world of digital cinema. Participants will have the unique opportunity to engage with industry experts, share their knowledge, and explore the latest developments in digital cinema, broadcast, and video. This event will serve as a prelude to the 4th edition of the Riyadh Season, making it an essential part of the city's cultural calendar.The event's workshops are carefully curated to cater to a wide range of interests and skill levels. Covering topics such as video acquisition, lighting for film and TV drama, workflow, and post-production, the workshops offer a hands-on and interactive learning experience. Participants will have access to top-of-the-line equipment from renowned brands like RED, Sony Professional Solutions, Zeiss, Angenieux, Astera light, DJI, Tokina, and more, all within specially designed sets that enhance the learning experience.Workshop highlights include:  "Video Acquisition for Cinema" and "Understanding Your Optics: Shooting in 8K and Beyond" conducted by Mr. Fouad Aoun, a cinematography expert with over a decade of experience.  "Workflow and Post," taught by Mr. Mostafa Salah, a seasoned professional with a decade of experience in media and editing.  "Lighting for Film & TV Drama" by the renowned Egyptian Director of Photography, Ayman Abou el Makarem, offering invaluable insights into creating cinematic visuals, enhancing storytelling, and staying versatile and adaptable.Ultimately, all four workshops will provide participants with a platform to showcase their creativity. Collaborating on projects guided by experienced instructors, attendees will have the chance to put their newfound skills into practice, create compelling content, and present their work to their peers and industry professionals.Advanced Media's CINESeason workshops aim to empower participants to excel in their craft and take their filmmaking skills to new heights. By offering a comprehensive program that covers various aspects of cinematic filmmaking, providing hands-on experience with cutting-edge equipment, and fostering a collaborative and supportive environment, CINESeason is set to be an event like no other in the world of digital cinema.