Creating prevalent formats for the Arab region
Arab Format Lab (AFL) was founded in 2016 to support, develop and produce television and cinematic content emerging from the Arab world showcasing its rich culture and heritage.
Specialising in content development, production, sales and distribution, AFL is based in Dubai with offices in Cairo and Jeddah.
Committed to delivering premium, socially-relevant Arabic content, the company focuses on format exchange by bringing international formats from Hollywood, Europe and Asia and adapting and producing them in Arabic for the Saudi, Gulf and the MENA region.
AFL believes in the talent and potential of Arab content creators and works towards exporting Arab formats to the international market in the future.
Mission
To capitalise on the market gap for premium Arabic content and continuously scan the world in search of successful, breakthrough formats that will appeal to Arab viewers’ taste, culture and social realities.
To combine the expertise of Hollywood and international storytelling with strong local writing talent to create premium drama and entertainment that captures the spirit of the original material in a way that is authentically Arabic (Gulf, Egyptian and pan-Arab).
AFL Services
- Adaptation of International Formats Bringing international formats from Hollywood, Europe and Asia to be adapted and produced in Arabic for the Saudi-Gulf and the MENA region including the remaking of adaptions of international movies.
- Development of Original Format Developing and producing original local TV entertainment formats, series formats and feature films with a focus on Egypt and the emerging Saudi cinema.
- Writer’s Lab Arabic adaptation and localisation of scripted, non-scripted international formats. With three regional Arab writers’ rooms in Cairo, Jeddah and Dubai.
- Media Consulting Developing channel brand positioning, identities and relevant programming strategies across all touch-points and platforms.
AFL Saudi Branch: Saudi Format Lab
AFL proudly launched the Saudi Format Lab (SFL) as an aggregation of the top 10 Saudi start-ups in media and a gathering of young talent with considerable experience.
SFL is based in Riyadh and Jeddah under one umbrella to cover key sectors of content development and audio-visual production including production and post-production facilities, sound design and composition, graphics and animation, public relations, sales and distribution and others.
Key Projects
Varying from TV shows, to commercial advertisements and to media initiatives, listed below are some of the most prominent projects AFL has worked on:
- The Red Band Society
Egyptian Teen Comedy-Drama Series (30 episodes) A successful international comedy-drama format adapted across 15 countries, including a USA version produced by acclaimed director Steven Spielberg. The plot revolves around a group of six children/young teenagers who are living together as patients in a hospital, each suffering from a serious illness, giving out a positive message of optimism, portrayed within a comedy-drama approach. The Arabic format adaptation will reflect the lives of the group of children/teenagers from different Saudi and pan-Arab social backgrounds united by a band of hope and humanity. - The Entertainment Experience
Multi-platform Project: Digital Platform, TV Show & Film Production A talent development initiative based on the world’s first multi-platform project that created a user-generated movie made by ‘the crowd’. It is led by the guidance of a team of industry professionals, an award-winning movie director and the Arab world’s most talented film makers. - Parenthood
Saudi/Gulf: Comedy-Drama Series Based on the highly acclaimed international NBC format. Following the lives and tragedies of an extended family of three generations and the challenges of living with multi-cultural and multi-ethnic family members from divergent backgrounds.
