Production has now started on “AlGaid,” the latest feature from fast-rising Saudi Arabian production house Telfaz11, which smashed local box office records with their first two local releases, “Sattar” and “Mandoob.”
Directed by Hussam Alhulwah and shooting in the sprawling production hub of Neom, “AlGaid” unfolds against the backdrop of the early 20th-century Arabia desert and is described as blending the revenge genre with Bedouin soap opera tropes. The film was penned by Saudi novelist and writer Ahmed Alhokail.
Among the newly-announced ensemble cast for the feature is renowned actor Yagoub Alfarhan, recently seen in the Red Sea Film Festival-winning film “Norah” but best known for the mini-series “Rashash.” Joining Alfarhan is Saad Alshatti and Khalid Abdulaziz (“Head to Head”), plus Husam AlHarthi (“The Matchmaker”) Asem Alawad (“Raven Song”), Ayman Mutahar (“Rashash”) and Fahad Bin Salem (“Mandoob”).
AlGaid
Behind the camera are director of photography Son Doan (“Sofia”), production designer...
Directed by Hussam Alhulwah and shooting in the sprawling production hub of Neom, “AlGaid” unfolds against the backdrop of the early 20th-century Arabia desert and is described as blending the revenge genre with Bedouin soap opera tropes. The film was penned by Saudi novelist and writer Ahmed Alhokail.
Among the newly-announced ensemble cast for the feature is renowned actor Yagoub Alfarhan, recently seen in the Red Sea Film Festival-winning film “Norah” but best known for the mini-series “Rashash.” Joining Alfarhan is Saad Alshatti and Khalid Abdulaziz (“Head to Head”), plus Husam AlHarthi (“The Matchmaker”) Asem Alawad (“Raven Song”), Ayman Mutahar (“Rashash”) and Fahad Bin Salem (“Mandoob”).
AlGaid
Behind the camera are director of photography Son Doan (“Sofia”), production designer...
- 1/16/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Hamzah Jamjoom’s eco-thriller “Running Dry,” which will start principal photography on Dec. 26, has revealed its leading cast members.
The film will star Baraa Alem, Waleed Zuaiter, Houshang Touzie, Naif Aldaferi and Ali Fardi.
Jamjoom’s credits include “Rupture,” winner of the Best Saudi Film Award at the Red Sea Film Festival in 2021, and “How I Got There,” the Best Saudi Film Award winner at last year’s Red Sea Film Festival.
It is based on a script by Gregory Collins and Jamjoom, from a story by Waleed Al Sanad and is produced by Abubakar Khan.
Inspired by real events, “Running Dry” follows the story of a poor mechanic from rural Saudi Arabia who is lured overseas only to be held captive by a sadistic drug lord.
Jamjoom said: “This film is really about overcoming forces that use and manipulate resources in order to divide people and consolidate power. In that sense,...
The film will star Baraa Alem, Waleed Zuaiter, Houshang Touzie, Naif Aldaferi and Ali Fardi.
Jamjoom’s credits include “Rupture,” winner of the Best Saudi Film Award at the Red Sea Film Festival in 2021, and “How I Got There,” the Best Saudi Film Award winner at last year’s Red Sea Film Festival.
It is based on a script by Gregory Collins and Jamjoom, from a story by Waleed Al Sanad and is produced by Abubakar Khan.
Inspired by real events, “Running Dry” follows the story of a poor mechanic from rural Saudi Arabia who is lured overseas only to be held captive by a sadistic drug lord.
Jamjoom said: “This film is really about overcoming forces that use and manipulate resources in order to divide people and consolidate power. In that sense,...
- 12/7/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Rising Saudi Arabian star Yaqoub Alfarhan, who is known for playing the titular drug trafficker and serial killer in hit Mbc TV series “Rashash,” plays a very different role in the drama “Norah” by pioneering Saudi director Tawfik Alzaidi, which is set in 1990s Saudi Arabia when conservatism was at its height and all forms of art and painting were banned for religion-related reasons.
In “Norah,” which world premiered at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, Alfarhan plays an artist named Nader who has given up painting and moved to a remote village to be a schoolteacher. There he intersects with this film’s titular character, played by Saudi newcomer Maria Bahrawi. “Norah” is an illiterate orphaned young woman who faces an arranged marriage in which she will be trapped and has a need for self expression. Their chaste encounter unleashes in “Norah” a passion for art and, by extension,...
In “Norah,” which world premiered at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, Alfarhan plays an artist named Nader who has given up painting and moved to a remote village to be a schoolteacher. There he intersects with this film’s titular character, played by Saudi newcomer Maria Bahrawi. “Norah” is an illiterate orphaned young woman who faces an arranged marriage in which she will be trapped and has a need for self expression. Their chaste encounter unleashes in “Norah” a passion for art and, by extension,...
- 12/7/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Saudi Arabian family comedy Sattar, set against the world of freestyle wrestling, has continued its record-breaking run at home to become one of the top five highest-grossing movies in the territory ever.
Since its release on December 29, the film has sold 723,000 tickets for a box office gross of $9.2M to date.
Distributor Front Row Arabia said that the film now sits in the fifth slot in Saudi Arabia’s historic box office charts after Top Gun: Maverick ($22.6M), Spider-Man: No Way Home ($17.4M) and two Egyptian films, Bahebek ($15.7M) and Waafet Regala ($15.6M).
The success comes just five years after the lifting of Saudi Arabia’s 35-year cinema ban at the end of 2017, and bodes well for the country’s burgeoning local filmmaking scene.
Kuwaiti filmmaker Abdullah Al Arak directs a cast led by stars popular Saudi actor and stand-up comedian Ibrahim Al Hajjaj, best known for the hit action...
Since its release on December 29, the film has sold 723,000 tickets for a box office gross of $9.2M to date.
Distributor Front Row Arabia said that the film now sits in the fifth slot in Saudi Arabia’s historic box office charts after Top Gun: Maverick ($22.6M), Spider-Man: No Way Home ($17.4M) and two Egyptian films, Bahebek ($15.7M) and Waafet Regala ($15.6M).
The success comes just five years after the lifting of Saudi Arabia’s 35-year cinema ban at the end of 2017, and bodes well for the country’s burgeoning local filmmaking scene.
Kuwaiti filmmaker Abdullah Al Arak directs a cast led by stars popular Saudi actor and stand-up comedian Ibrahim Al Hajjaj, best known for the hit action...
- 3/2/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
US producer previously helped develop ‘Mad Men’ and ‘Breaking Bad’.
Former Amazon Studios executive Christina Wayne has been appointed managing director of Mbc Studios, the production arm of top Middle East broadcaster Mbc Group.
The US producer replaces Peter Smith, a former president of NBCUniversal International, who is stepping down after four years but will remain with the group in an advisory role.
During his tenure, Smith spearheaded major growth in Mbc’s production activity with titles such as Rashash, Rise of the Witches, and Devil’s Promise. The latter is a series created by Tony Jordan, the UK creator of Life Of Mars,...
Former Amazon Studios executive Christina Wayne has been appointed managing director of Mbc Studios, the production arm of top Middle East broadcaster Mbc Group.
The US producer replaces Peter Smith, a former president of NBCUniversal International, who is stepping down after four years but will remain with the group in an advisory role.
During his tenure, Smith spearheaded major growth in Mbc’s production activity with titles such as Rashash, Rise of the Witches, and Devil’s Promise. The latter is a series created by Tony Jordan, the UK creator of Life Of Mars,...
- 2/3/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Former Amazon Studios originals boss for Canada and Australia, Christina Wayne, will be the new Managing Director of Saudi Arabia-based Mbc Studios.
She will succeed Peter Smith, who we last week revealed was stepping down after four years. Smith will remain as an advisor.
Former AMC Networks exec Wayne and Smith are well known to each other. In 2012, Smith joined Cineflix Studios as CEO when Wayne was President.
At Mbc Studios, the production arm of the Middle East and North Africa-focused network Mbc Group, Wayne will look to continue a push into premium non-English-language TV programs.
Mbc operates 17 free-to-air satellite channels and streaming service Shahid.
Sam Barnett, Group CEO of Mbc Group, stated: “We’re incredibly excited to be welcoming Christina Wayne to the role of Managing Director at Mbc Studios. Christina brings with her a wealth of international expertise in content development and production where she has worked across...
She will succeed Peter Smith, who we last week revealed was stepping down after four years. Smith will remain as an advisor.
Former AMC Networks exec Wayne and Smith are well known to each other. In 2012, Smith joined Cineflix Studios as CEO when Wayne was President.
At Mbc Studios, the production arm of the Middle East and North Africa-focused network Mbc Group, Wayne will look to continue a push into premium non-English-language TV programs.
Mbc operates 17 free-to-air satellite channels and streaming service Shahid.
Sam Barnett, Group CEO of Mbc Group, stated: “We’re incredibly excited to be welcoming Christina Wayne to the role of Managing Director at Mbc Studios. Christina brings with her a wealth of international expertise in content development and production where she has worked across...
- 2/3/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Peter Smith is leaving Mbc Studios after four years as Managing Director.
We’ve learned the international industry veteran is stepping down from the premium production arm of Middle Eastern and North African network Mbc, though he’ll continue to advise on production and distribution.
In a statement to Deadline, Mbc CEO Sam Barnett confirmed the exit and said a successor would be named “in due course, in coming days.”
Smith is a former NBCUniversal International President and was CEO of Cineflix Studios and Greece-based broadcaster Antenna Group.
He joined Mbc Studios in 2018 as it launched as the production arm of free-to-air network Mbc, which is the largest media company in the Mena region. He was tasked with increasing Mbc’s original film and TV output and and he has gone on to overseen the launch of shows such as Rashash, Rise of the Witches and The Devil’s Promise.
We’ve learned the international industry veteran is stepping down from the premium production arm of Middle Eastern and North African network Mbc, though he’ll continue to advise on production and distribution.
In a statement to Deadline, Mbc CEO Sam Barnett confirmed the exit and said a successor would be named “in due course, in coming days.”
Smith is a former NBCUniversal International President and was CEO of Cineflix Studios and Greece-based broadcaster Antenna Group.
He joined Mbc Studios in 2018 as it launched as the production arm of free-to-air network Mbc, which is the largest media company in the Mena region. He was tasked with increasing Mbc’s original film and TV output and and he has gone on to overseen the launch of shows such as Rashash, Rise of the Witches and The Devil’s Promise.
- 1/26/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Saudi feelgood comedy-drama Sattar, which has enjoyed a record-breaking theatrical run at home, will hit U.K. cinemas next month in a release spearheaded by Mena region distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment.
Sattar, which is set in the world of freestyle wrestling, will be only the second Saudi Arabian film to be released theatrically in the U.K. after Haifa al-Mansour’s ground-breaking 2012 international breakout Wadjda.
The film will launch on around 10 U.K. screens in London and other major U.K. cities, including Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Leeds, on February 10.
Front Row, which has struck a direct distribution, revenue-sharing deal with Odeon Cinemas, is aiming to catch the wave of the film’s success in Saudi Arabia.
The target audience is Saudi Arabian and Gulf citizens living in the U.K. but Front Row expects it to appeal to a wider Arabic-speaking audience as well as local spectators without Mena ties.
Sattar, which is set in the world of freestyle wrestling, will be only the second Saudi Arabian film to be released theatrically in the U.K. after Haifa al-Mansour’s ground-breaking 2012 international breakout Wadjda.
The film will launch on around 10 U.K. screens in London and other major U.K. cities, including Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Leeds, on February 10.
Front Row, which has struck a direct distribution, revenue-sharing deal with Odeon Cinemas, is aiming to catch the wave of the film’s success in Saudi Arabia.
The target audience is Saudi Arabian and Gulf citizens living in the U.K. but Front Row expects it to appeal to a wider Arabic-speaking audience as well as local spectators without Mena ties.
- 1/25/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Middle East distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has boarded Saudi wrestling comedy “Sattar.” The film is set for a wide release in Saudi on Dec. 29 via Front Row Arabia, its joint-venture with local exhibitor Muvi Cinemas.
Directed by Kuwaiti’s Abdullah Al Arak, the film, which launched positively from the recent Red Sea Film Festival, is produced by Saudi Arabia’s prolific production company Tefaz11 via its new production arm, AlShimaisi Films, in tandem with Muvi Studios. “Sattar” stars Saudi actor and stand-up comedian Ibrahim Al Hajjaj (“Rashash”), who plays Saad, a man whose floundering personal and professional life prompts him to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a freestyle wrestler.
The Saudi theatrical market has been booming in recent years. Following the Dec. 2017 removal of the kingdom’s 35-year-old religion-related ban on movie theaters, the kingdom is now the top theatrical market in the Middle East and was worth 238 million in 2021, as per Comscore.
Directed by Kuwaiti’s Abdullah Al Arak, the film, which launched positively from the recent Red Sea Film Festival, is produced by Saudi Arabia’s prolific production company Tefaz11 via its new production arm, AlShimaisi Films, in tandem with Muvi Studios. “Sattar” stars Saudi actor and stand-up comedian Ibrahim Al Hajjaj (“Rashash”), who plays Saad, a man whose floundering personal and professional life prompts him to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a freestyle wrestler.
The Saudi theatrical market has been booming in recent years. Following the Dec. 2017 removal of the kingdom’s 35-year-old religion-related ban on movie theaters, the kingdom is now the top theatrical market in the Middle East and was worth 238 million in 2021, as per Comscore.
- 12/19/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Lauded British screenwriter Tony Jordan and BAFTA nominee Colin Teague have combined on The Devil’s Promise, the latest big-budget TV series to come from Saudi Arabia’s Mbc Studios.
The pair have written and directed respectively and Hitch star Paula Patton is starring as the nation continues to ramp up its TV offering.
Airing on streamer Shahid VIP later this month, the show follows Ibrahim, who secures a gigantic project to redevelop a Cairo slum on the day is his wife is diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor. Refusing to accept the prognosis, Ibrahim tries everything in his power to save her, including promising his soul to Iblis, Aka the devil, after his death.
The show stars Patton along with Amr Youssef, Aïcha Ben Ahmed, Fathy Abdel Wahab, Yaqoub Alfarhan, Ahmed Magdy, Ahmed Al Refaei, Mohamed Yousry, Mohamed Marzban, Khaled Kamal, Moataz Hisham, Mourad Makram, Amr Gamal, Nelly Karim, and the late Maha Abou Ouf.
The pair have written and directed respectively and Hitch star Paula Patton is starring as the nation continues to ramp up its TV offering.
Airing on streamer Shahid VIP later this month, the show follows Ibrahim, who secures a gigantic project to redevelop a Cairo slum on the day is his wife is diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor. Refusing to accept the prognosis, Ibrahim tries everything in his power to save her, including promising his soul to Iblis, Aka the devil, after his death.
The show stars Patton along with Amr Youssef, Aïcha Ben Ahmed, Fathy Abdel Wahab, Yaqoub Alfarhan, Ahmed Magdy, Ahmed Al Refaei, Mohamed Yousry, Mohamed Marzban, Khaled Kamal, Moataz Hisham, Mourad Makram, Amr Gamal, Nelly Karim, and the late Maha Abou Ouf.
- 9/12/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Dubai-based broadcaster and streamer Mbc is ramping up production with several new high-end shows.
These include “Rise of The Witches,” being touted as the biggest-budget Saudi Arabian TV series to date, “The Devil’s Promise,” created by U.K. writer Tony Jordan, and crime thriller “1001 Nights.”
Mbc Group CEO Sam Barnett in an interview said Mbc Studios now has 65 projects in various stages and reiterated the the Saudi-owned company is committed to serve as a driver to help kickstart the kingdom’s nascent industry.
“Rise of The Witches” is based on a Saudi novel described by Barnett as “a fantasy novel set 1,500 years ago in a time of witches” with a strong female empowerment theme.
The storyline of the show, written by British actor and writer Charlie Higson (the “Young Bond” novel series), who worked in tandem with two female Saudi writers on “Witches,” tracks the rise of two...
These include “Rise of The Witches,” being touted as the biggest-budget Saudi Arabian TV series to date, “The Devil’s Promise,” created by U.K. writer Tony Jordan, and crime thriller “1001 Nights.”
Mbc Group CEO Sam Barnett in an interview said Mbc Studios now has 65 projects in various stages and reiterated the the Saudi-owned company is committed to serve as a driver to help kickstart the kingdom’s nascent industry.
“Rise of The Witches” is based on a Saudi novel described by Barnett as “a fantasy novel set 1,500 years ago in a time of witches” with a strong female empowerment theme.
The storyline of the show, written by British actor and writer Charlie Higson (the “Young Bond” novel series), who worked in tandem with two female Saudi writers on “Witches,” tracks the rise of two...
- 4/12/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Dubai-based Mbc Group CEO Sam Barnett is navigating what he calls the “difficult transition” of going from being the Mena region’s top satellite free-to-air player to also being its top premium streamer.
At the start of the holy month of Ramadan, which is marathon TV time in the region after iftar (breaking fast), Barnett spoke to Variety about how the Saudi-owned broadcaster is managing this feat. Edited excerpts.
Mbc is now operating in both the linear TV and the streaming space. How’s the streaming side going?
We are celebrating this month because we just got data in that [Mbc’s streaming service] Shahid VIP has become the market leader in streaming in Mena. We’ve pulled ahead of Netflix and the others.
Terrific, what are your numbers?
If I compare ourselves to the competition, in terms of subs, we hit the two million figure last year. We got there towards Ramadan, and then it dipped.
At the start of the holy month of Ramadan, which is marathon TV time in the region after iftar (breaking fast), Barnett spoke to Variety about how the Saudi-owned broadcaster is managing this feat. Edited excerpts.
Mbc is now operating in both the linear TV and the streaming space. How’s the streaming side going?
We are celebrating this month because we just got data in that [Mbc’s streaming service] Shahid VIP has become the market leader in streaming in Mena. We’ve pulled ahead of Netflix and the others.
Terrific, what are your numbers?
If I compare ourselves to the competition, in terms of subs, we hit the two million figure last year. We got there towards Ramadan, and then it dipped.
- 4/6/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Streaming platforms are increasingly gaining traction across the Middle East, prompting Arab TV production companies to start transitioning from churning out strictly local shows — many of which launched during Ramadan — to making bolder skeins, some with ambitions for international play.
After a slow start, the subscription video-on-demand market in the 13 leading Arabic territories is expected to rise from 8.61 million paying SVOD customers by the end of this year to 15 million by 2026, according to a recent study by London-based Digital TV Research.
Over the next five years, the study predicts that current market leader Netflix will increase subs from 3.4 million to 5.4 million, beating Amazon, which is still a small player in the region, and also beating fast-growing local platforms Shahid VIP, Starz Play Arabia and Osn, whose numbers are currently boosted by its content deal with Disney. Meanwhile, Disney Plus has announced that it will launch in the Middle East next summer,...
After a slow start, the subscription video-on-demand market in the 13 leading Arabic territories is expected to rise from 8.61 million paying SVOD customers by the end of this year to 15 million by 2026, according to a recent study by London-based Digital TV Research.
Over the next five years, the study predicts that current market leader Netflix will increase subs from 3.4 million to 5.4 million, beating Amazon, which is still a small player in the region, and also beating fast-growing local platforms Shahid VIP, Starz Play Arabia and Osn, whose numbers are currently boosted by its content deal with Disney. Meanwhile, Disney Plus has announced that it will launch in the Middle East next summer,...
- 10/10/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
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