Al Jazeera Goes Hollywood

Guess it was bound to happen eventually.

An announcement was made recently at an Arab TV documentary festival in Doha, Qatar - the Arab news network Al Jazeera is going into the movie biz.

After honoring films that elevate suicide bombers, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is likely to have a bountiful supply of similar fare to further honor with the new Middle East venture.

Interestingly, the Al Jazeera network intends to start its English language service later this year as well. It will broadcast from four time zones and rotate locations throughout the day (Kuala Lumpur, Doha, London and Washington). As NewsMax reported, so far no U.S. cable company has agreed to carry the Al Jazeera programming.

Back to the movie news, the company has launched a fund for independent film and television producers. The Al Jazeera Sponsorship Fund will award "grants to support and develop indie productions, and young directors and producers."

Starting with $1.4 million, the fund will also provide training and technical services for budding Michael Moores and George Clooneys.

The Left Coast Report thought we already had an Al Jazeera network and movie studio - CNN and Miramax.