{"id":2771,"date":"2026-06-23T13:37:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T13:37:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2771"},"modified":"2026-06-23T13:37:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T13:37:47","slug":"shivani-pandya-malhotra-former-managing-director-of-saudi-arabias-red-sea-film-festival-on-expanding-her-dubai-based-ta-films-shingle-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2771","title":{"rendered":"Shivani Pandya Malhotra, Former Managing Director of Saudi Arabia\u2019s Red Sea Film Festival, on Expanding Her Dubai-Based Ta Films Shingle (EXCLUSIVE)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tA trio of female film and TV industry execs \u2014 with plenty of expertise in the Middle East space \u2014 is looking to expand the output of the Dubai-based Ta Films shingle after making a splash in Cannes with Yemeni-Scottish director Sara Ishaq\u2019s debut feature \u201cThe Station.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more The New Kindle Is Down to $85 for Prime Day<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tTa Films was set up in 2022 by Shivani Pandya Malhotra, who recently\u00a0stepped down as general manager of Saudi Arabia\u2019s Red Sea Film Festival, and Sangeeta Desai, a former global COO at Fremantle and Group CEO at Dubai-based satellite\u00a0pay-TV and streaming service OSN. In 2025, they made a quantum leap by buying Jordan-based production company Screen Project, founded by Nadia Eliewat, who now serves as Ta Films\u2019 CEO and creative producer.<\/p>\n

\n\tTa Films\u2019 first feature was the Toronto-bowing 2023 drama \u201cYellow Bus\u201d by Middle East-based U.S. director Wendy Bednarz, which follows a mother\u2019s quest for justice after suffering an unthinkable tragedy. Then came Ishaq\u2019s Yemen-set drama \u201cThe Station,\u201d about sisters clashing over how to protect their young brother from mandatory enlistment in an armed group, that in May premiered positively from Cannes Critics\u2019 Week. The film has been praised by Variety<\/em> critic Jay Weissberg as \u201ca long-gestating, female-centered project set in Yemen that\u2019s well worth the wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTa Films\u2019 mission is now to \u201cdevelop and produce elevated film and series content from the MENA region, as well as South Asia,\u201d Pandya Malhotra told Variety<\/em>. They have a half-dozen projects in various stages of development and plan to shepherd two to three films per year, at least at this stage, she added.<\/p>\n

\n\tPandya Malhotra also pointed out that the company intends to pick projects with an \u201cartistically distinctive\u201d stamp that are \u201ccommercially structured and viable, with a nice international reach.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn terms of financing, they are investing in development and using a different financing model for each film, drawing on a combination of soft money available in the region, potential co-production opportunities,and commissions from broadcasters and streamers.<\/p>\n

Read more StoReel Launches Canvas, AI Production Platform Targeting Microdrama Creators (EXCLUSIVE)<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe key element is that we want to tell stories from unknown, underrepresented voices, and that we are very, very, talent-led,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe great thing about the three of us, is that a lot of the regional talent knows us,\u201d she continued. \u201cSo many of them have been approaching us with some very interesting and unique projects.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tProjects currently in the Ta Films pipeline:<\/p>\n

\n\u201cDrowning\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 This Saudi-set drama is one of two feature film projects that Saudi director Mujtaba Saeed has in the works with Ta Films. Saeed \u2013 who divides his time between Germany and Saudi Arabia \u2013 will make his feature film debut later this year when shooting is expected to start on \u201cDrowning\u201d about a man determined to have his murderous father executed. He has only four days to convince the victim\u2019s heir to choose the death penalty instead of taking \u201cblood money\u201d (diya), the traditional Islamic legal practice where the victim\u2019s family agrees to pardon a convicted killer in exchange for a cash payment.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cMecca, Berlin\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 This is the other project in the Ta Films pipeline to be directed by Saeed. The plot focuses on a young man named Yahya, who must travel from Mecca to Berlin for his father\u2019s cancer treatment, confronting past traumas and finding refuge in an encounter with a Syrian refugee nurse. \u201cMecca, Berlin\u201d is being developed with leading Middle East broadcaster\u00a0MBC, for which Saeed has directed several shorts.<\/p>\n

\nPictured above, from left to right: Nadia Eliewat, Shivani Pandya Malhotra, Sangeeta Desai<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Read more Brooke Shields Named New Host of First Responders Series \u2018Hearts of Heroes\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shivani Pandya Malhotra, former managing director of Saudi Arabia\u2019s Red Sea Film Festival, discusses expanding her Dubai-based Ta Films shingle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2770,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2369,2370,2371],"class_list":["post-2771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","tag-arab-cinema","tag-shivani-pandya-malhotra-2","tag-ta-films"],"yoast_head":"\nShivani Pandya Malhotra, Former Managing Director of Saudi Arabia\u2019s Red Sea Film Festival, on Expanding Her Dubai-Based Ta Films Shingle (EXCLUSIVE) - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2771\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shivani Pandya Malhotra, Former Managing Director of Saudi Arabia\u2019s Red Sea Film Festival, on Expanding Her Dubai-Based Ta Films Shingle (EXCLUSIVE) - 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