CAIRO (EGYPT) – The first Egyptian television series of Netflix Inc, “Paranormal”, will make its debut on Thursday. This is a major step in the streaming firm’s strategy for the Middle East.
The series is based on the works of Egyptian novelist Ahmed Khaled and it is about a doctor whose scientific convictions are suddenly called into question. His works in Arabic have sold more than 15 million copies.
“Our plan is: invest in Arab creators, in Arab production, in Arab content. We have announced four projects, plus ‘Paranormal’,” said Ahmed Sharkawi, director of Arabic and African original series at Netflix.
The series is about Refaat Ismail, a doctor with a dark wit and whose convictions about the natural world are shaken when he begins to experience paranormal activities.
“This is one of my life’s projects. I loved (the novels) since I was a kid … We’ve been trying to get (a series) out since 2006, so finally it has been shown to the audience,” said Amr Salama, co-producer on the show along with Mohamed Hefzy.
Historically, Egypt has been the “Hollywood of the Middle East” and it produces a large number of Arabic films and television series which are viewed widely across the region.
“We are on a global platform… so this is an opportunity that is different from any other opportunity we’ve worked on. We can now have fans from other regions, other countries, who speak other languages,” said Ahmed Amin essays the role of the protagonist.
Netflix intends to complete shooting more than 150 productions by the end of the year and it would release more programmes in each quarter next year.