RSIFF: Kingdom underlines ambitions to become filmmaking powerhouse

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Saudi Araia's cinema market is experiencing a cultural renaissance, driven by increasing local productions and a growing appetite for diverse storytelling, reports Adrian Pennington from the Red Sea International Film Festival

Since lifting its 35-year ban on cinema in 2018 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has set about positioning itself as a potent international film production centre. The oil rich state has invested heavily in building an indigenous industry from scratch. It includes film and TV sound stages at Neom and Al-Ula, a generous 40% cash rebate on inward productions, and a film festival which aims to unite Hollywood with regional talent.

“The goal is a thriving economy,” explains Zaid Shaker, Acting Executive Director at regional film body Film AlUla. “It’s diversification. This is a national target and the cinema sector is an industry by itself. By inviting international productions, the growth and training of local talent and local players is a natural byproduct. The more mature that it is, the more international productions you can bring in.”

It's not as if Saudi creative talent was hiding under a rock. Over sixty percent of the country’s 33 million population are under 30 years old and in recent years they’ve turned to content creating for YouTube. Shaker calls them the “catalysts” and points to the government led training initiatives that are aiming to build capacity.

“Every single young person is an ambassador and we see potential at each and every one of them,” he says. “That is why this industry is also built on cinema culture.”

The pent-up demand for watching films in cinemas can be tallied by the meteoric rise of the local box office. The kingdom has quickly become the market leader in the MENA region with revenue projected to reach $572m in 2024 and growing at 5.17% a year to 2029.

“Prior to the country opening up there were a lot of creators but they were using the internet as a platform,” Shivani Pandya Malhotra, Managing Director of the Red Sea Film Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation which organises the RSIFF.  “We have a lot of YouTubers and a creative community working for different social media formats. What [the government] has done is now is to put the focus on the film and entertainment industry to really encourage this creative community to build and to produce longer form content.”

In 2023, the feature film Norah was the first Saudi film ever selected for the Cannes Film Festival, a landmark event for the country. The movie, which explores artistic repression in 1990s Saudi Arabia, was backed by the Red Sea Fund, was filmed entirely in AlUla with an all-Saudi cast and a crew that was 40% local.

“This is all at nascent stages, but there is a huge ambition,” Malhotra says. “Since Saudi has been open we've done incredibly well in terms of seeing the productions number of films that are getting made.”

Saudi’s large domestic market can support local content and in a language that a major diaspora speak around the world. With the backing of state investment in content and infrastructure there is every foundation for success but this is dependent on the kingdom’s ability to cultivate local talent and to scale up the industry.

“There’s a focus on assisting Saudi storytellers to create content which sells internationally,” Shaker says. “This is pivotal because if we are to build a sustainable ecosystem and for the industry to grow, the productions have to make revenue. Distribution on international platforms is a key part of that. We are trying to increase the export of local stories, of Saudi stories. It's a cultural exchange at the end of the day.”

He continues, “This is about communication and behaviour change because if you are from my generation, if you're not an engineer or a doctor, you were always frowned upon. Now, we’re talking about introducing lots of new careers - being a cameraman, a Grip, being a data wrangler. It’s important that we show to the youth that this is something sustainable, that they can build on.

“It's a long process,” he adds. “The most important thing is that the youth are very receptive. At Film AlUla, this is baked into every activity we do. For example, during November we had two extensive below the line training workshops that engaged more than 18 students and resulted in the creation of six short films. We have monthly seminars. Within the productions we attract, we design incentives specifically tailored to do this. When we have an international production shooting in Al-Ula there are local interns, local crew.”

He adds, “We have access to finance, we have the best locations in the world, we have world class facilities. But even if you have the best strategy, if you don't have a good base of local crew, you will still be losing.”

Red Sea Film Festival

Now in its fourth year and based in Jeddah, the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) is seeking to establish itself as a destination for filmmakers across the Middle East and beyond. A companion Red Sea Fund has doled out development finance, up to $15m a time, to over 250+ films since 2021.

“Our ambition was always to be championing Arab, Africa, and Asian content and talent,” says Malhotra. “That's meant to be our USB to the world.  That was the mandate when we started out in year one. We have created the base framework and gone from strength to strength.”

Half of the 121 films showing at RSIFF this year are either world or international premieres. Of those, 34 are Saudi produced, six of which are in the competition section.

“What’s exciting is that [regional] films as well as international films distributed here are getting good box office,” she says. “When Saudi opened up and cinema theatres were built was the point at which the industry started. We've seen that it's rapidly growing and a local audience for local content is being created.”

“It's very organic but we're already seeing results,” she says.  “We're seeing the infrastructure ramp up quite significantly to support the local and regional filmmakers.”

Speaking on a panel session, Zeinab Abul Al Samh, General Manager of Saudi-owned broadcaster MBC Studios said, “I say this with so much humbleness, I promise you, but Saudi is the next big thing. Everything that we do becomes the first thing that we've ever done. Comedy films have broken the box office here. Then drama breaks the box office. We're so hungry for different genres. There isn't a genre that we shy away from or a genre that we can’t do because it didn't work in the past. We don't have [a past].”

Alsamh, oversees the production and development of new projects, and is also CEO of MBC Academy, which discovers and nurtures emerging talent. Some 23,000 Saudis have graduated from its training programs.

“We have a young population with so much ambition and so much appetite. This population has global taste and demands very high standards. Even if Saudi isn't the next big thing in the world, it's definitely the next big thing in our region.”

 

Focus on female filmmakers

Kaleem Aftab, the festival’s director of international programming, is particularly proud that seven of the competition’s 16 features are by female filmmakers: Denise Fernandes’ Hanami; Kurdwin Ayub’s Moon; Taghrid Abouelhassan’s Snow White; Maksud Hossain’s Saba; Reema Kagti’s Superboys Of Malegaon; and Xiaoxuan Jiang’s To Kill A Mongolian Horse.

“That's not through any quota that's because they are the best films that we found,” he says. “It’s an incredible achievement and it's going to be very inspiring to a lot of women in the Arab world to get into film and to follow the film programs.

Aftab, a former film journalist, is British of Pakistani heritage and grew up in a traditional Muslim family. Asked about whether his selections had to be sensitive to censorship he explained, “What I try and do is push the envelope and see what is acceptable in public spaces. My first priority is to show the best films. Also, we are also looking at how we can build the Saudi market, so often I am led by what films have been picked by distributors in the region because we want to elevate those films.”

He picks out coming of age drama Hanami, a Swiss, Portugal and Cape Verde co-pro “about a young girl who doesn't know if she should stay on the island or should venture out into the world to fulfil her dreams. That’s a universal subject.

To Kill A Mongolian Horse is the first Asian film funded by the Red Sea Film Foundation. “The battle between tradition and modernity [depicted in the film] will really hit home.”

Director Kurdwin Ayub was born in Iraq and grew up in Austria. Her film, Moon, is about a female MMA fighter set in Austria and Jordan and is another about female freedom.

Also screening for the first time in MENA is Sima’s Song directed by Afghan filmmaker Roya Sadat, a drama that explores the evolution of women's rights during the Russian occupation in the 1970s.

Jeddah born actress and director Ahd Hassan Kamel, who starred in BBC Two’s Collateral (2018), premiered her new film My Driver and I. It’s the first UK produced film to have shot on location in Jeddah, and is also backed by the Red Sea Fund.

Oscar winning actor Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) and fellow stars including Emily Blunt, Eva Longoria, Cynthia Erivo and Catherine Zeta-Jones attended a Women In Cinema event, in support of women’s careers in film both on and behind the camera in MENA.

Yeoh reminded any cynics that Hollywood has yet to get its own house in order in delivering equal opportunities.

“Open the gates and let us in!” she pleaded. “As storytellers, as filmmakers, especially as women, what we’re saying is let us prove ourselves. If we can’t have a seat at the table because we’re not capable, that’s one thing; but we’re not even given the opportunity to try, and that’s not good.”

“I’ve kicked my way to shatter the glass ceilings,” Yeoh added. “I don’t think the challenges are over. We are beginning to see changes, we are beginning to welcome more diversity, we are beginning to see more women especially behind the cameras.”

To nail that point home, actor Viola Davis (The Woman King, Fences) and Egyptian actor and producer Mona Zaki were honoured with special awards at RSIFF and competition jury president Spike Lee (BlacKKKlansman) said he was here keeping an open mind.

“It’s not like a know these filmmakers and what their work is like,” he told Screen. “I’m coming here with no bias. It’s rare to get the opportunity to be so totally open and fresh.”

Locations and studios

Film AlUla and Neom are the two principal and purpose-built filmmaking hubs in KSA and both were heavily represented at the RSIFF.

AlUla’s facilities include two 26,000 sqft soundstages, a production building housing wardrobe and makeup rooms and a 61,500-sqft backlot. It is AlUla’s location though in an almost pristine site of natural and historic landscape that particularly attracts filmmakers.

“AlUla is a cinematic wonder,” says Shaker, who lives there. “We refer to AlUla as the world's largest living museum. Protection of the local area is at the core of everything we do. There's a very delicate balance in terms of how we build our ecosystem.”

High-profile projects such as Kandahar starring Gerard Butler and Cherry starring Tom Holland directed by the Russo brothers have shot there. Rapper Anderson .Paak’s feature debut feature ‘K-PopS’ was partially shot in AlUla. It’s produced by Stampede Ventures, run by former WBD executive Greg Silverman, as part of a $350 million deal with Film AlUla for 10 projects to be made over three years. 

Neom is part of the $500 billion megacity under construction in northwest Saudi Arabia. Its facilities include Media Village and Bajdah Desert Studios, a 45-minute drive apart and intended to be part of a larger 50 stage media hub. Rupert Wyatt’s $150m epic Desert Warrior, Antara from Con Air director Simon West, and TV drama series Rise Of The Witches are among productions to have used its studios.

“We are all partners in the same market,” says Shaker of apparent rivalry with Neom. “We are not in competition. Any production that bases in Neom or AL-Ula is good for Saudi film.”

TV a focus

The festival also has a strand focused on curating and developing episodic shows with a number of TV projects pitched at the Souk.

Traditional Ramadan serials have been produced since the 1960s in the region with one episode per day of the Muslim holy month. This format has recently been overhauled, cutting the number episodes in half and boosting production values. As a result, Netflix acquired recent Arab hits, such as 20x45 minute period drama Mohammed Ali Road and 15x30 minute contemporary drama The Sculptor.

“The production of HETV has played a significant role to increase the annual GDP for different countries, so TV is definitely part of the equation for Saudi,” Shaker says.

Local titles dominate Saudi streaming

Streaming preferences in Saudi Arabia are shifting. During the first quarter of 2024, 71% of online media consumers in KSA reported watching locally produced content in the previous three months. This shift in Saudi streaming trends is reshaping the market and affecting the distribution of market share across platforms, according to Juliana Tartara of analysts BB Media.

Over the past two years, Saudi Arabia's streaming trends have evolved as users turn to local providers and geographically relevant platforms. In 2022, foreign companies dominated, accounting for four out of the Top five platforms, with Netflix leading in market penetration. As of 1Q 2024, however, Shahid, a Saudi Arabia-based streaming service, had taken the top spot, followed by STC TV, another local platform.

Only 4% of Netflix’s catalogue in Saudi Arabia features Arabic-language titles, highlighting the challenge Netflix faces in catering to local preferences. In response Netflix announced plans to expand its Arabic slate. New seasons of fan-favourite shows such as Al Rawabi School for Girls, Finding Ola, Dubai Bling, and The Exchange are in the works, alongside new releases like Honeymoonish, Basma, Echoes of the Past, and Love Is Blind, Habibi.

“This expansion reflects Netflix's commitment to investing in content that resonates with audiences in the MENA region, aiming to stay competitive with local platforms like Shahid,” said Tartara.

Opening to Asia and to TV

After exclusively curating Arabic and African content, the Festival has now started to champion and develop Asian content. A quarter of the 38 submissions to the festival’s marketplace for projects pitching for funding or distribution, originate from across Asia with titles from Taiwan, India and Indonesia.

The film market, styled as the Souk, featured 75 stands (up from 65 in 2023) representing 18 countries and includes postproduction, kit supply and VFX companies like Egypt’s Trend VFX and Specter which is based in Riyadh and Jordanian producer The Imaginarium Films

Industry talks curated by CAA Media Finance discussed topics on indie filmmaking, creating content that translates across borders, and production of drama series. There is even a session on how to become a film critic.

“We’re helping local filmmakers find out what works for different parts of the world and how they can collaborate with international producers to build co-productions,” says Malhotra. “That is really important to the growth of the industry here.”

Palestinian drama To A Land Unknown presented in the market here in 2022, landed finance and went on to premiere at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.

There are no Isreali film screened here, perhaps unsurprisingly, with festival programmer Antonine Khalife telling Screen that he cannot answer if it would be possible for an Isreali picture to be selected.