MIPCOM Cannes saw the formalising of an agreement to move studio know-how across borders and deepen international production cooperation. The opening phase of Shams Production Hub, due to begin in Q1 2027, is headlined by five purpose-built sound stages.
CANNES, France: At MIPCOM Cannes, Sharjah Media City (Shams), a leading UAE freezone authority, and Origo Studios, one of Hungary’s leading film studio complexes, formalised a strategic partnership that will support the creation of Shams Production Hub in Sharjah, UAE.
At the core of the agreement sits a three-phase training and knowledge-transfer programme, through which Origo Studios will prepare the team at Shams to operate the facility to international standards. Online sessions form one strand of the training, alongside hands-on learning at Origo Studios in Budapest and on-site guidance in Sharjah.
The programme addresses studio operations, art department management, post-production, business development and sales, finance and production incentives, backlot operations, technical infrastructure, governance, and sustainable production practices.
At the heart of Shams Production Hub are five purpose-built sound stages, each of roughly 1,710 square metres. Work on the first phase is scheduled to commence in Q1 2027.
Growing commercial ties between Hungary and Sharjah provide another foundation for the partnership. Registrations at Shams by Hungarian businesses and investors currently number 67 companies, of which 31 carry out media-related activities.
Commenting, Director General of Shams H.E. Rashid Abdalla Al Obad said: “Our vision for the Shams Production Hub goes beyond developing world-class production infrastructure. We want to build the expertise, operational capabilities and industry relationships needed to support productions at every stage of their lifecycle. Our partnership with Origo Studios enables our team to learn from an established European studio environment and bring that knowledge to Sharjah, while strengthening connections between the UAE and international production markets. It reflects our commitment to developing a sustainable, globally connected media and creative ecosystem that creates opportunities for talent and businesses.”
CEO of Origo Studios Dr. Márta Fekszi Horváth added: “We are pleased to partner with Sharjah Media City at an important stage in the development of the Shams Production Hub. Building a successful production ecosystem requires more than world-class facilities; it requires strong operational expertise, practical experience and a deep understanding of the production industry. Through this partnership, we look forward to sharing our knowledge and experience with the Shams team and supporting their journey towards establishing a production hub capable of serving local, regional and international productions. We also see strong potential for this partnership to develop further, with continued cooperation between our teams across operational and development matters.”
Subject to mutual agreement, the partners have also opened the way to further cooperation across knowledge exchange, technical expertise, studio development and potential international production opportunities.
