Global post-production and VFX giant Company 3 has signed an agreement with the nascent Film Committee at Media City Qatar to set up a post-production and VFX studio in Doha.
The Los Angeles headquartered outfit, headed by ace colorist Stefan Sonnenfeld, that handles post-production on a large portion of Hollywood series and films – including, most recently, “Wicked: For Good,” “F1,” “Superman,” “Frankenstein” and “Stranger Things” Season 5 – “will provide technical, creative, and operational guidance to shape the foundation for a high-end post-production environment in the region,” according to a statement.
The plan is for the post-production studio facility in Doha, which is the Qatari capital, to be completed in roughly six months.
The Qatar Film Committee – an official body that is part of the Media City Qatar hub, and is tasked with driving growth of the country’s entertainment industry – will support this collaboration “through a structured funding and facilitation framework, reflecting Qatar’s ambition to become the production and post-production hub for the Middle East and Africa,” the statement added.
“We are super excited to bring our post-production services here, which I think are the best, coupled with the best rebates in the world,” Sonnenfeld said in a press briefing, noting that the agreement was prompted by talks initiated two years ago by Sheikha Mayassa, the sister of the Emir of Qatar, who personally reached out to him.
Negotiations between Company 3 and Qatari authorities then continued with Hassan Al Thawadi, the Qatari lawyer who chairs the Qatar Film Committee and previously oversaw the 2022 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament.
Sonnenfeld said Company 3 had acted as a consultant in designing the structure of Qatar’s new production rebate. He noted that, when it comes to post-production, the incentive is not tied to a project actually shooting in Qatar.
The freshly announced rebate called Qatar Screen Production Incentive offers an up to 50% in cash incentive on qualifying Qatari production expenditure, combining a 40% base rebate with an additional uplift of up to 10% for productions that meet defined criteria such as hiring Qatari talent, investing in local training, promoting Qatari culture, and other aspects of industry development.
“This partnership embodies Qatar’s vision to support the very best creators in Qatar, the region and the Global South. With Company 3’s world-renowned expertise in visual storytelling and our commitment to building advanced creative infrastructure, Doha is poised to become a destination for world-class post-production and visual effects,” Al Thawadi said in a statement.
The deal with Company 3 follows production partnerships announcement on Friday between the Qatar Film Committee and U.S. studios including Neon and Miramax.