MBC Studios is unveiling ‘Boxing Girls', a brand-new Arabic-language drama produced by O3 Productions and twofour54 Abu Dhabi. Directed by Saudi filmmaker Samir Aref, ‘Boxing Girls' is the screenwriting debut of Afnan Alqasimi, and stars a slew of well-known names in Arab entertainment, including Fatima Al Hosani, Ali Al Sherif and Shaifan Al Otaibi. The program places young people at the center of the gripping story, as well as behind the scenes. Teams with both O3 Productions — which falls under MBC Studios — and twofour54 spent two months shooting in Abu Dhabi across locations in the UAE capital, before moving to Riyadh to complete the second phase of production. As well as the series benefitting from twofour54's award-winning production and post-production services and facilities, it also was able to take advantage of Abu Dhabi Film Commission's attractive 30% rebate on production spend. Maryam Eid AlMheiri, CEO of Media Zone Authority, Abu Dhabi (MZA) and twofour54, said: "This drama production is particularly unique, because it puts a real emphasis on the region's young talent — both in front of and behind the camera." ‘Boxing Girls' also stars Mila Zahrani, Abdul Aziz Skeirin, Alaa Shaker, Dana Al Salem, Anoud Al Saoud, Abeer Sander, Noura Ezzer, Mohammed Meshaal, Rakan, Zuhair Haider and Zara Al Balushi. It is set to debut in February 2019, on MBC channels. — SG
