UAE- New Iftah Ya Simsim on screens for the first time in 25 years

Abu Dhabi 1st Sept. 2015 (WAM): The eagerly awaited children's program Iftah Ya Simsim has been officially launched this morning at a spectacular event held at the Mubarak Bin Mohammed School in Abu Dhabi amidst a gathering of esteemed individuals representing key regional educational cultural and media agencies and partners teaching professionals and school children. Targeting children age 4-6 the new Iftah Ya Simsim is set to air on national TV channels across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) the Middle East and North Africa potentially reaching 45 million pre-schoolers this weekend following a 25-year break.

In attendance at the launch event were key individuals and VIPs representing the partners responsible for the production of the new Iftah Ya Simsim including Bidaya Media a children's content creation company that revived and produced the show the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS) the GCC Joint Program Production Institute (JPPI) and twofour54 the home to Media and Entertainment in Abu Dhabi. Guests were treated to an exclusive brief screening of the show's first episode the unveiling of the full Muppet and human cast as well as production crew where they engaged with the Iftah Ya Simsim popular characters of No'man Shams Melsoon and Gargur. The event also featured a talented group of UAE students who presented a special performance of the new Iftah Ya Simsim theme song known to the older and younger generation alike.

"Iftah Ya Simsim was one of the early versions of Sesame Street to help pave the way for our extraordinary global reach" said Steve Youngwood COO Sesame Workshop the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street. "When Sesame Street debuted in 1969 our goal was to better prepare children for school in the U.S. The founders never dreamed that the television show they created would reach children in 150 countries some with their very own locally produced Sesame Street. Through the tireless work of Bidaya Media ABEGS JPPI twofour54 and our wonderful partners on the ground we are producing and delivering content that promotes the heritage language and culture of the region and helping kids grow smarter stronger and kinder. It's a great day for us and a great day for kids."

Adding to the excitement surrounding the launch Dr. Amal Al Qubaisi Director General of Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) said "We have been working alongside Bidaya Media and other key partners from the very beginning putting immense work and hours into research planning and organising the educational curriculum of the new Iftah Ya Simsim to ensure that the children around the region can easily relate to the local stories and characters. We're delighted that the new Iftah Ya Simsim is finally being aired and that our efforts are ready to translate into the holistic development of the Arab child in the region."

Housing the state-of-the-art set for the filming of Iftah Ya Simsim twofour54 hosted the production and post-production of the show as well as providing talent and partners for collaboration while aiding in bringing to life the fun well-thought-out stories and characters.

Noura Al Kaabi CEO twofour54 said: "Media plays a critical role in delivering children's education. In this digital age children have easy access to the internet and television which bestows on us the responsibility to make sure our children are provided with the right foundations at a young age. Our children need content that is developed specifically for their needs and matches their cultural values and we were instantly attracted to Iftah Ya Simsim due to its promise of delivering just that."

"Iftah Ya Simsim is a very dear show to our generation and having played a role in its revival gives us at twofour54 great pride and joy. I would like to extend my greatest appreciation to our campus partners talent and the Film & TV Services team for delivering high quality production services that match the show's international standards. We are excited about the launch of Iftah Ya Simsim today and wish our children a happy and valuable learning experience" she added.

Tying in with the 'Back-to-School' season in September the first season of Iftah Ya Simsim will be based on the theme 'Health and Wellbeing' and is set to air on national and private broadcast stations across the GCC injecting fun learning into the school and homework routine children will be returning to. Earlier this year Iftah Ya Simsim also launched an education toolkit which was distributed to around ten thousand schools and teaching professionals across the GCC countries in collaboration with the various educational authorities in the region along with Strata Manufacturers who lent support for the printing and production of the toolkit.

The first season of Iftah Ya Simsim will comprise of 28 episodes with new original songs rhymes and animated segments issuing a strong focus on Arabic words and concepts. The show will air on the 4th and 5th of September across 9 national and regional broadcast stations promising more exciting stories and episodes for the ensuing seasons and hopes to continue its ground breaking efforts in child development by paving the way in the field of edutainment: