Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Because of Umniah’s belief in the importance of belonging to Arts and Culture, Umniah has announced that it recently became one of the founding members of the Friends of RSICA, a new organization started to support The Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts, the first graduate film institute in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

RSICA offers graduate scholarships in cinema creation, and aims to train talented students from the MENA region to develop their artistic skills and meet international cinematic standards. The Institute prepares students to distinctive films for regional and global audiences that showcase excellence and originality.

“Friends of RSICA are proud that Umniah has joined us as one of our founding members. Umniah is a pioneer in its field in Jordan and is a living example of a corporation that consistently maintains its advanced market position. These are qualities that are parallel to what we strive for at the Institute,” commented RSICA Dean Dr. James Hindman.

In turn, Mr. Ihab Hinnawi, Umniah’s CEO, expressed his pleasure at Umniah joining Friends of RSICA as one of the founding members: “The Red Sea Institute for Cinematic Arts drew our interest because of the vast and distinguished opportunities they have on offer for talented and creative youth in the region who have the artistic potential and ambition to develop the local filmmaking industry to reach international standards. We believe RSICA will undoubtedly cultivate and enhance their students’ sense of belonging to their creative abilities and development.”

RSICA started its classes in 2008 with support from the Royal Film Commission of Jordan and the University Of Southern California School Of Cinematic Arts, widely considered to be the leading film school in the world. The institute was established in 2004 based on the vision of His Majesty King Abdullah II. In August 2010 RSICA was named by the world’s leading film trade journal, The Hollywood Reporter, as one of the top 12 film schools in the world.