Fast rising Saudi studio Telefaz11 – the label behind record-breaking wrestling comedy “Sattar” – is set to make an ambitious concept comedy titled “Alzarfa” that will combine the heist movie and film-within-a-film genres.
“Alzarfa” is being lead produced by Telfaz11 studio founder and creative director Ibraheem Alkhairallah, a comedian, actor, writer and producer who wrote and starred in “Sattar” (pictured) the tale of a man pursuing his childhood dream of becoming a freestyle wrestler. Last year the film scored more than $10 million at the home box office becoming the kingdom’s highest grossing local title since Saudi Arabia revoked a 35-year ban on the operation of commercial movie theaters in Dec. 2017.
“Alzarfa” is about three friends who end up behind bars after a failed heist attempt. Having absconded from the slammer, they subsequently wind up in a movie being bankrolled by a wealthy Saudi tycoon about his family’s history that is...
“Alzarfa” is being lead produced by Telfaz11 studio founder and creative director Ibraheem Alkhairallah, a comedian, actor, writer and producer who wrote and starred in “Sattar” (pictured) the tale of a man pursuing his childhood dream of becoming a freestyle wrestler. Last year the film scored more than $10 million at the home box office becoming the kingdom’s highest grossing local title since Saudi Arabia revoked a 35-year ban on the operation of commercial movie theaters in Dec. 2017.
“Alzarfa” is about three friends who end up behind bars after a failed heist attempt. Having absconded from the slammer, they subsequently wind up in a movie being bankrolled by a wealthy Saudi tycoon about his family’s history that is...
- 5/21/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Telfaz11 & New Distribution Label Metis Films Partner On UK & Ireland Release Of Saudi Hit ‘Mandoob’
Rising Riyadh-based independent studio Telfaz11 and newly launched UK distribution label Metis Films are partnering to release Saudi hit Mandoob in the UK and Ireland.
The contemporary drama follows the mishaps of Fahad Algadaani, a Riyadh-based night courier (mandoob) who gets caught in the crosshairs of the city’s underworld as he tries to raise money for his father’s medical bills.
The movie has enjoyed a successful run at home, drawing 630,000 spectators since its release last December. It success follows in the wake of Telfaz11’s hit freestyle wrestling comedy Sattar.
Mandoob is the first film of Telfaz11 co-founder Ali Kalthami, who previously achieved fame at home for his viral YouTube videos which racked up billions of views ahead of the lifting of Saudi’s 35-year cinema ban in 2017.
“When we created the story of Mandoob (Night Courier), we focused on appealing to local audiences. However, after its major...
The contemporary drama follows the mishaps of Fahad Algadaani, a Riyadh-based night courier (mandoob) who gets caught in the crosshairs of the city’s underworld as he tries to raise money for his father’s medical bills.
The movie has enjoyed a successful run at home, drawing 630,000 spectators since its release last December. It success follows in the wake of Telfaz11’s hit freestyle wrestling comedy Sattar.
Mandoob is the first film of Telfaz11 co-founder Ali Kalthami, who previously achieved fame at home for his viral YouTube videos which racked up billions of views ahead of the lifting of Saudi’s 35-year cinema ban in 2017.
“When we created the story of Mandoob (Night Courier), we focused on appealing to local audiences. However, after its major...
- 5/8/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
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
Bookmark this page for the latest updates in the territory.
Screen is listing the 2023 release dates for films in the UK and Ireland in the calendar below.
For distributors who wish to add/amend a date on the calendar, please get in touch with Screen here. Screen is also running a calendar for festival and market dates throughout 2023 here.
December
December 31
Berliner Philharmoniker Live: New Year’s Eve Concert 2023 (Trafalgar - event cinema)
Previous releases January
January 6
Piggy (Vertigo), The Enforcer (Vertigo), Alcarràs (Mubi), A Man Called Otto (Sony), Rashomon (BFI), Till (Universal)
January 7
Andre Rieu In Dublin 2023 (Piece of...
Screen is listing the 2023 release dates for films in the UK and Ireland in the calendar below.
For distributors who wish to add/amend a date on the calendar, please get in touch with Screen here. Screen is also running a calendar for festival and market dates throughout 2023 here.
December
December 31
Berliner Philharmoniker Live: New Year’s Eve Concert 2023 (Trafalgar - event cinema)
Previous releases January
January 6
Piggy (Vertigo), The Enforcer (Vertigo), Alcarràs (Mubi), A Man Called Otto (Sony), Rashomon (BFI), Till (Universal)
January 7
Andre Rieu In Dublin 2023 (Piece of...
- 12/30/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Saudi hit thriller Night Courier (Mandoob) has continued its record-breaking box office run at home in its second week on release, outpacing Aquaman and Dunki with just under three times the admissions of either picture.
Per the figures of the movie’s Saudi distributor Front Row Arabia, the joint distribution label of Front Row Filmed Entertainment and local exhibitor muvi Cinemas, Night Courier sold 71,000 tickets in its second week on release for a gross of $1.15 million.
This brings its total gross to $3.4 million on the back of 251,000 admissions over the course of 12 days.
The picture comfortably beat DC and Warner Bros.’ tentpole Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which clocked 27,700 admissions for a $442,000 gross in its first week on release in Saudi Arabia, as well Shah Rukh Khan’s Bollywood blockbuster Dunki, with drew 26,000 spectators for a $357,000 gross.
Warner Bros.’ Wonka slipped to fourth place in the Saudi box office...
Per the figures of the movie’s Saudi distributor Front Row Arabia, the joint distribution label of Front Row Filmed Entertainment and local exhibitor muvi Cinemas, Night Courier sold 71,000 tickets in its second week on release for a gross of $1.15 million.
This brings its total gross to $3.4 million on the back of 251,000 admissions over the course of 12 days.
The picture comfortably beat DC and Warner Bros.’ tentpole Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which clocked 27,700 admissions for a $442,000 gross in its first week on release in Saudi Arabia, as well Shah Rukh Khan’s Bollywood blockbuster Dunki, with drew 26,000 spectators for a $357,000 gross.
Warner Bros.’ Wonka slipped to fourth place in the Saudi box office...
- 12/27/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Ali Kalthami’s feature debut received its premiere at Toronto.
Saudi thriller Mandoob has broken the local box office record for a homegrown title and beat Warner Bros tentpole Wonka to top the weekend box office.
The film took $1.58m from 114,000 admissions following its release across Ksa on December 14. This makes it the highest opening for a local title since Saudi Arabia ended a 35-year ban on operating cinemas in December 2017.
The record was previously held by wrestling comedy Sattar, which opened with 63,000 admissions in December 2022. Mandoob also scored the second biggest opening for an Arabic film in the territory,...
Saudi thriller Mandoob has broken the local box office record for a homegrown title and beat Warner Bros tentpole Wonka to top the weekend box office.
The film took $1.58m from 114,000 admissions following its release across Ksa on December 14. This makes it the highest opening for a local title since Saudi Arabia ended a 35-year ban on operating cinemas in December 2017.
The record was previously held by wrestling comedy Sattar, which opened with 63,000 admissions in December 2022. Mandoob also scored the second biggest opening for an Arabic film in the territory,...
- 12/18/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Saudi Arabian thriller “Mandoob,” about a struggling man who becomes an illegal booze runner, beat “Wonka” over the weekend to top the Saudi box office chart while also scoring the biggest opening to date for a local film in the territory.
The groundbreaking Saudi movie, which world-premiered positively in Toronto in September – and more recently bowed regionally at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah – tallied 114,000 admissions and a $1.58 million gross box office intake following its Dec. 14 release. This puts the film way ahead of Warner Bros’ “Wonka,” in second place with roughly 38,000 admissions and a $616,000 total, and Studio Ghibli’s “The Boy and the Heron,” which came in third, according to figures provided by distributor Front Row Arabia.
In “Mandoob,” which is directed by Saudi cinema pioneer Ali Kalthami and produced by studio Telfaz11, which he co-founded, protagonist Fahad is fired from his job in a call center and becomes a booze runner,...
The groundbreaking Saudi movie, which world-premiered positively in Toronto in September – and more recently bowed regionally at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah – tallied 114,000 admissions and a $1.58 million gross box office intake following its Dec. 14 release. This puts the film way ahead of Warner Bros’ “Wonka,” in second place with roughly 38,000 admissions and a $616,000 total, and Studio Ghibli’s “The Boy and the Heron,” which came in third, according to figures provided by distributor Front Row Arabia.
In “Mandoob,” which is directed by Saudi cinema pioneer Ali Kalthami and produced by studio Telfaz11, which he co-founded, protagonist Fahad is fired from his job in a call center and becomes a booze runner,...
- 12/18/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Saudi director Ali Kalthami’s thriller Night Courier (Mandoob) has posted a record-breaking opening at home, generating 114,000 admissions for a $1.58 million gross to beat Warner Bros. blockbuster Wonka.
Front Row Arabia, the joint distribution label of Front Row Filmed Entertainment and local exhibitor muvi Cinemas, launched the title theatrically in all of Saudi Arabia’s 63 cinema theatres on 121 screens on December 14.
Wonka, which also opened in Saudi on December 14, drew roughly 38,000 spectators for a $616,000 gross to come in second, followed by Studio Ghibli’s The Boy And The Heron.
Night Courier is the latest production from rising content company Telfaz11, which is already riding high this year on the back of the success of its freestyle wrestling comedy Sattar.
The opening numbers for Night Courier trump those of Sattar, which previously held the opening record for a Saudi film. That film, which was also handled by Front Row Arabia, drew...
Front Row Arabia, the joint distribution label of Front Row Filmed Entertainment and local exhibitor muvi Cinemas, launched the title theatrically in all of Saudi Arabia’s 63 cinema theatres on 121 screens on December 14.
Wonka, which also opened in Saudi on December 14, drew roughly 38,000 spectators for a $616,000 gross to come in second, followed by Studio Ghibli’s The Boy And The Heron.
Night Courier is the latest production from rising content company Telfaz11, which is already riding high this year on the back of the success of its freestyle wrestling comedy Sattar.
The opening numbers for Night Courier trump those of Sattar, which previously held the opening record for a Saudi film. That film, which was also handled by Front Row Arabia, drew...
- 12/18/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Groundbreaking Saudi Arabian thriller “Mandoob,” about a struggling man who becomes a bootleg alcohol dealer, is being mastered for theatrical release in both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos in what is being touted as a first for Saudi and Arabic cinema at large.
The film, which world-premiered in Toronto and recently bowed locally at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, is being released in Saudi by distributor Front Row on Dec. 14 with late night screenings starting Wednesday night.
In “Mandoob,” which is directed by Saudi cinema pioneer Ali Kalthami and produced by studio Telfaz11, which he co-founded, the protagonist Fahad is fired from his job in a call center and becomes a booze runner, plunging into the depths of Riyadh’s underworld as he battles adversity to save his ailing father.
“Dolby is proud to collaborate with the creative minds behind ‘Mandoob,’ bringing Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to...
The film, which world-premiered in Toronto and recently bowed locally at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, is being released in Saudi by distributor Front Row on Dec. 14 with late night screenings starting Wednesday night.
In “Mandoob,” which is directed by Saudi cinema pioneer Ali Kalthami and produced by studio Telfaz11, which he co-founded, the protagonist Fahad is fired from his job in a call center and becomes a booze runner, plunging into the depths of Riyadh’s underworld as he battles adversity to save his ailing father.
“Dolby is proud to collaborate with the creative minds behind ‘Mandoob,’ bringing Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to...
- 12/13/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Saudi director Ali Kalthami’s debut feature Night Courier (Mandoob) was a hot ticket at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah earlier this month and expectations are running high for its local release, which begins at midnight today.
As is often the case in Saudi Arabia right now, the Red Sea screening felt like history in the making as an intergenerational local crowd packed out the auditorium alongside international guests, lapping up the drama and deadpan humor.
The Riyadh-set social thriller stars popular Saudi actor Mohamad AlDokhei as a Fahad, a man in his late 30s, who turns to work as a night courier (mandoob) after he is sacked from his job at a call center.
When he stumbles on an illegal alcohol ring, he hatches a plan to boost his meagre earnings but then falls foul of the gang running the operation.
Fahad’s nocturnal deliveries take...
As is often the case in Saudi Arabia right now, the Red Sea screening felt like history in the making as an intergenerational local crowd packed out the auditorium alongside international guests, lapping up the drama and deadpan humor.
The Riyadh-set social thriller stars popular Saudi actor Mohamad AlDokhei as a Fahad, a man in his late 30s, who turns to work as a night courier (mandoob) after he is sacked from his job at a call center.
When he stumbles on an illegal alcohol ring, he hatches a plan to boost his meagre earnings but then falls foul of the gang running the operation.
Fahad’s nocturnal deliveries take...
- 12/13/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The third edition of the Red Sea Film Festival, wrapping Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, felt like a direct response to a burning question from executives and investors present at the festival’s market arm last year: Could Saudi Arabia step out from drama and comedy and head into genre filmmaking? The answer offered by the festival, it turns out, was a resounding yes.
“Arabs are closer to fantasy than the Western world,” director Yasir Al-Yasiri told Variety of this year’s Red Sea Film Festival opening film, “Hwjn.” The film, a sprawling fantasy about the Arab Jinn culture set and shot in Jeddah, comes at the “right time,” according to the director. “We have the means to do so, and so many talented people have gathered great experience from working abroad with big companies and now they are working in our region.”
“Saudi changed so much that suddenly we had room to explore,...
“Arabs are closer to fantasy than the Western world,” director Yasir Al-Yasiri told Variety of this year’s Red Sea Film Festival opening film, “Hwjn.” The film, a sprawling fantasy about the Arab Jinn culture set and shot in Jeddah, comes at the “right time,” according to the director. “We have the means to do so, and so many talented people have gathered great experience from working abroad with big companies and now they are working in our region.”
“Saudi changed so much that suddenly we had room to explore,...
- 12/9/2023
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety Film + TV
While attending the third edition of the Red Sea Film Festival, Wayne Borg, managing director of media industries, entertainment and culture at Neom, sat down with U.S. producer Eric Hedayat and Variety‘s Italy and Middle East correspondent Nick Vivarelli to discuss Neom’s key role in Saudi Arabia’s entertainment industry boom.
Coupling state-of-the-art infrastructure with Saudi Arabia’s enticing 40% tax rebate, Neom has solidified itself as a major entertainment and media production hub not only locally to Saudi but internationally in the last two years.
“[Neom] is about critical mass of infrastructure, stages, support facilities and workshops,” said Borg about the fundamental principles of the company. “It’s about a competitive, super attractive production incentive scheme and ensuring the depth and breadth of workers to support the influx of productions we are experiencing now. And, finally, it’s about getting out of the way.”
With over 20 years of experience in the media sector,...
Coupling state-of-the-art infrastructure with Saudi Arabia’s enticing 40% tax rebate, Neom has solidified itself as a major entertainment and media production hub not only locally to Saudi but internationally in the last two years.
“[Neom] is about critical mass of infrastructure, stages, support facilities and workshops,” said Borg about the fundamental principles of the company. “It’s about a competitive, super attractive production incentive scheme and ensuring the depth and breadth of workers to support the influx of productions we are experiencing now. And, finally, it’s about getting out of the way.”
With over 20 years of experience in the media sector,...
- 12/8/2023
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety Film + TV
Front Row Takes Mena Distribution for Saudi Drama ‘Norah’ in Competition at Red Sea Fest (Exclusive)
Dubai-based distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region distribution rights to groundbreaking Saudi drama “Norah,” which world premiered in competition at the Red Sea Film Festival.
Directed by pioneering Saudi director Tawfik Alzaidi, making his feature film debut, “Norah” 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.
The film’s titular character, played by Saudi newcomer Maria Bahrawi, is an illiterate orphaned young woman who lives in a remote village where she faces an arranged marriage in which she will be trapped and has a need for self expression. She intersects with an artist named Nader, played by Saudi star Yaqoub Alfarhan (“Rashash”), who has given up painting and moved to the village to be a schoolteacher. This chaste encounter unleashes in “Norah” a passion for art and,...
Directed by pioneering Saudi director Tawfik Alzaidi, making his feature film debut, “Norah” 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.
The film’s titular character, played by Saudi newcomer Maria Bahrawi, is an illiterate orphaned young woman who lives in a remote village where she faces an arranged marriage in which she will be trapped and has a need for self expression. She intersects with an artist named Nader, played by Saudi star Yaqoub Alfarhan (“Rashash”), who has given up painting and moved to the village to be a schoolteacher. This chaste encounter unleashes in “Norah” a passion for art and,...
- 12/6/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The moves comes as the leading Mena distributor ramps up activity.
Dubai-based distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has promoted Nicolas Torloting, Carine Chaiban and Elie Touma to partners as the company increases activity in the region.
The trio joined in early 2019 as part of a revamp of the company, which is one of the leading distributors of independent and genre films in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena). Torloting is Front Row’s COO, with Chaiban heading post-theatrical sales and Touma leading acquisitions and theatrical distribution.
The company, founded by Gianluca Chakra in 2003, handles the release of more than 200 films per year,...
Dubai-based distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has promoted Nicolas Torloting, Carine Chaiban and Elie Touma to partners as the company increases activity in the region.
The trio joined in early 2019 as part of a revamp of the company, which is one of the leading distributors of independent and genre films in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena). Torloting is Front Row’s COO, with Chaiban heading post-theatrical sales and Touma leading acquisitions and theatrical distribution.
The company, founded by Gianluca Chakra in 2003, handles the release of more than 200 films per year,...
- 12/4/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region indie distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment is promoting company execs Nicolas Torloting, Carine Chaiban and Elie Touma to partners as it ramps up operations.
The trio joined the company, headed by Gianluca Chakra, in early 2019 as part of an initial revamp. Torloting, a former Disney exec in the region, is currently Front Row’s COO, while Chaiban, who is an acquisitions and distribution expert, heads post-theatrical sales and Touma is in charge of acquisitions and theatrical distribution. The announcement was made during Saudi Arabia’s ongoing Red Sea Film Festival. Front Row recently scored big at the Saudi box office with the wrestling comedy “Sattar,” released by Front Row Arabia via its joint venture with leading local exhibitor Muvi Cinemas.
Amid the region’s rapidly evolving film distribution landscape, Front Row has grown to establish itself as one of the leading players in...
The trio joined the company, headed by Gianluca Chakra, in early 2019 as part of an initial revamp. Torloting, a former Disney exec in the region, is currently Front Row’s COO, while Chaiban, who is an acquisitions and distribution expert, heads post-theatrical sales and Touma is in charge of acquisitions and theatrical distribution. The announcement was made during Saudi Arabia’s ongoing Red Sea Film Festival. Front Row recently scored big at the Saudi box office with the wrestling comedy “Sattar,” released by Front Row Arabia via its joint venture with leading local exhibitor Muvi Cinemas.
Amid the region’s rapidly evolving film distribution landscape, Front Row has grown to establish itself as one of the leading players in...
- 12/4/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
’We strive to make each film distinct from one another,’ says co-founder Ali Fadan
Over the past twelve months, Telfaz11 has established itself at the forefront of the Saudi production industry.
Its comedy Sattar became the number one Saudi film ever, and the fourth biggest release of all time at the Saudi box office, with over 918,000 admissions.
Two Telfaz11 films – Ali Kalthami’s drama Mandoob and Meshal Aljaser’s suspense thriller Naga – world premiered at Toronto.
Both are playing at Red Sea before being released later this month: Naga on Netflix on December 7 and Mandoob in theatres on December 14. Abdullah...
Over the past twelve months, Telfaz11 has established itself at the forefront of the Saudi production industry.
Its comedy Sattar became the number one Saudi film ever, and the fourth biggest release of all time at the Saudi box office, with over 918,000 admissions.
Two Telfaz11 films – Ali Kalthami’s drama Mandoob and Meshal Aljaser’s suspense thriller Naga – world premiered at Toronto.
Both are playing at Red Sea before being released later this month: Naga on Netflix on December 7 and Mandoob in theatres on December 14. Abdullah...
- 12/4/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Ali Kalthami jokingly asserts that Telfaz11, the Saudi Arabia production company he helped co-found more than 10 years ago — long before the country announced it was reopening cinemas for the first time in 35 years — is currently the “hot thing” in the local film industry.
He’s not exactly wrong.
The company’s first feature Sattar smashed Saudi box office records at the start of the year, becoming the most successful local feature of all time in the space of a couple of weeks, and would go on to beat most major Hollywood releases (including Barbie). Less than 12 months on at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah it currently has two of buzziest titles screening in Naga and Mandoob, both of which premiered in Toronto. Screenings for the films were among the first to sell out.
Suspense thriller Naga — part of a multi-picture deal Telfaz11 signed with Netflix — comes from writer...
He’s not exactly wrong.
The company’s first feature Sattar smashed Saudi box office records at the start of the year, becoming the most successful local feature of all time in the space of a couple of weeks, and would go on to beat most major Hollywood releases (including Barbie). Less than 12 months on at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah it currently has two of buzziest titles screening in Naga and Mandoob, both of which premiered in Toronto. Screenings for the films were among the first to sell out.
Suspense thriller Naga — part of a multi-picture deal Telfaz11 signed with Netflix — comes from writer...
- 12/2/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Just a few weeks ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, it was unveiled that a new regional distributor and sales operation was launching.
Riyadh-based TwentyOne Entertainment, led by British former Universal and Disney executive Paul Chesney, would be coming to the festival with its first acquisition, Red Sea competition entry Norah, the debut feature from Saudi writer-director Tawfik Alzaidi. The film, set in 1990s Saudi Arabia, also marks the first feature to be shot entirely in the country’s AlUla region.
Hot on the heels of this announcement, Chesney unveiled his new Saudi production operation, Red Palm Pictures, which would work under the same umbrella as TwentyOne. Doubling down on its commitment to Alzaidi, Red Palm launched with a multi-picture deal with the filmmaker and a new project in Thuraya, an action and adventure drama that he’s set to write and direct.
The new...
Riyadh-based TwentyOne Entertainment, led by British former Universal and Disney executive Paul Chesney, would be coming to the festival with its first acquisition, Red Sea competition entry Norah, the debut feature from Saudi writer-director Tawfik Alzaidi. The film, set in 1990s Saudi Arabia, also marks the first feature to be shot entirely in the country’s AlUla region.
Hot on the heels of this announcement, Chesney unveiled his new Saudi production operation, Red Palm Pictures, which would work under the same umbrella as TwentyOne. Doubling down on its commitment to Alzaidi, Red Palm launched with a multi-picture deal with the filmmaker and a new project in Thuraya, an action and adventure drama that he’s set to write and direct.
The new...
- 12/2/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The third edition of the market comes as Saudi emerges as an increasingly important player in the international industry
The Saudi industry is setting out its stall to local and international execs arriving at the Red Sea International Film Festival’s market, the Red Sea Souk, which opens today (December 2).
Many of the country’s leading players are exhibiting in the Souk, including exhibitor / producers muvi Cinemas and Vox Cinemas, media hubs Neom and AlUla, producers Telfaz11 and Mbc Studios, distributor CineWaves Films through to production services outfit Yellow Camel Studios, vfx specialist Hecat Studios and industry organisations the Saudi...
The Saudi industry is setting out its stall to local and international execs arriving at the Red Sea International Film Festival’s market, the Red Sea Souk, which opens today (December 2).
Many of the country’s leading players are exhibiting in the Souk, including exhibitor / producers muvi Cinemas and Vox Cinemas, media hubs Neom and AlUla, producers Telfaz11 and Mbc Studios, distributor CineWaves Films through to production services outfit Yellow Camel Studios, vfx specialist Hecat Studios and industry organisations the Saudi...
- 12/2/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival stands as testimony to the kingdom’s unwavering drive to become a film and TV industry powerhouse amid regional conflicts, political turbulence and societal changes.
The Israel-Hamas war caused cancellations of several movie celebrations across the Arab world, including the Cairo Film Festival and Tunisia’s Carthage Film Days. But Saudi’s rapidly growing fest is forging ahead undeterred with its third edition set to run Nov. 30-Dec. 9 in Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore.
In early October, after the war broke out, “we were assessing the situation day by day,” recalls pioneering Saudi producer and philanthropist Mohammed Al Turki, the event’s CEO, who notes that Red Sea organizers at that point reached out to filmmakers in the Middle East and North Africa region for feedback “and they almost had a heart attack when we told them we might not continue.
The Israel-Hamas war caused cancellations of several movie celebrations across the Arab world, including the Cairo Film Festival and Tunisia’s Carthage Film Days. But Saudi’s rapidly growing fest is forging ahead undeterred with its third edition set to run Nov. 30-Dec. 9 in Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore.
In early October, after the war broke out, “we were assessing the situation day by day,” recalls pioneering Saudi producer and philanthropist Mohammed Al Turki, the event’s CEO, who notes that Red Sea organizers at that point reached out to filmmakers in the Middle East and North Africa region for feedback “and they almost had a heart attack when we told them we might not continue.
- 11/29/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Fast-rising Saudi studio Telfaz11 has reunited with distributor Front Row Arabia following their record-breaking release of Sattar, which earlier this year became the most successful Saudi film of all time.
Front Row Arabia — a partnership between regional distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Saudi exhibition chain Movie Cinemas — will now release Telfaz’s latest feature Mandoob, a darkly comic Saudi thriller directed by Ali Kalthami, which he co-wrote with Mohammed Algarawi. The first trailer has also been released for the film, which is scheduled to hit theaters across Saudi Arabia on Dec. 14.
Mandoob, which premiered in Toronto, follows a struggling Saudi man whose life takes an unexpected turn when he’s fired from his call center job and is forced to make ends meet working as a delivery man in the depths of the local underworld.
The film is produced by Telfaz11 Studio and supported by the Red Sea Film Foundation’s production support fund.
Front Row Arabia — a partnership between regional distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Saudi exhibition chain Movie Cinemas — will now release Telfaz’s latest feature Mandoob, a darkly comic Saudi thriller directed by Ali Kalthami, which he co-wrote with Mohammed Algarawi. The first trailer has also been released for the film, which is scheduled to hit theaters across Saudi Arabia on Dec. 14.
Mandoob, which premiered in Toronto, follows a struggling Saudi man whose life takes an unexpected turn when he’s fired from his call center job and is forced to make ends meet working as a delivery man in the depths of the local underworld.
The film is produced by Telfaz11 Studio and supported by the Red Sea Film Foundation’s production support fund.
- 11/2/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Middle East and North Africa-focused distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Saudi Arabia-based producer Al Sarid Films have launched the trailer for the Saudi Arabian epic Within Sand, the first Saudi film to be shot in Neom, the region of the country set to be home to a proposed $500 billion megacity.
The film is set to be released wide across Saudi cinemas on Nov. 9 via Front Row Arabia, the joint venture between Front Row Filmed Entertainment and leading Saudi exhibitor Muvi Cinemas, and later around the Middle East. At the start of 2023, Front Row Arabia scored a major hit with the Saudi family comedy Sattar, which became the biggest local film of all time.
Backed by the Saudi Film Commission, Neom and Riyadh-based production company AlSarid Films, Within Sand is written and directed by first-time filmmaker Moe Alatawi and produced by Reem Alatawi and Jana Dahlawi.
It features an all-Saudi cast led by Ra’ed Alshammari,...
The film is set to be released wide across Saudi cinemas on Nov. 9 via Front Row Arabia, the joint venture between Front Row Filmed Entertainment and leading Saudi exhibitor Muvi Cinemas, and later around the Middle East. At the start of 2023, Front Row Arabia scored a major hit with the Saudi family comedy Sattar, which became the biggest local film of all time.
Backed by the Saudi Film Commission, Neom and Riyadh-based production company AlSarid Films, Within Sand is written and directed by first-time filmmaker Moe Alatawi and produced by Reem Alatawi and Jana Dahlawi.
It features an all-Saudi cast led by Ra’ed Alshammari,...
- 10/10/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Long before it was officially announced, in late 2017, that Saudi Arabia’s 30-year ban on cinemas would be lifted, there’d been widespread gossip across the kingdom that the news was incoming.
“There was this rumor going around that there were theaters in malls already, and they’d just pull the curtain back and be like ‘tada, cinemas!,” says Alaa Fadan. As Ibraheem Al Khairallah recalls: “I remember looking around and thinking, ‘Is that the corner of a cinema?’”
But Fadan and Al Khairallah weren’t simply Saudi movie fans eagerly waiting in anticipation. As co-founders of pioneering Riyadh-based content studio Telfaz11 alongside fellow multi-hyphenate Ali Kalthami, they’d spent years carefully preparing themselves and their company, which began life making online videos, in order to take full advantage whenever the historic news would land. As Fadan notes: “We were ready for it — everything that we’d done was about...
“There was this rumor going around that there were theaters in malls already, and they’d just pull the curtain back and be like ‘tada, cinemas!,” says Alaa Fadan. As Ibraheem Al Khairallah recalls: “I remember looking around and thinking, ‘Is that the corner of a cinema?’”
But Fadan and Al Khairallah weren’t simply Saudi movie fans eagerly waiting in anticipation. As co-founders of pioneering Riyadh-based content studio Telfaz11 alongside fellow multi-hyphenate Ali Kalthami, they’d spent years carefully preparing themselves and their company, which began life making online videos, in order to take full advantage whenever the historic news would land. As Fadan notes: “We were ready for it — everything that we’d done was about...
- 9/9/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Speakers at Screen round-table in Venice included Daniela Elstner, Film i Vast’s Kristina Borjeson, and Lucky Red founder Andrea Occhipinti.
Unifrance’s Daniela Elstner, Film i Vast’s Kristina Borjeson, and Lucky Red founder Andrea Occhipinti were among the international executives who came together to share insights into producing and distributing non-English language films outside of their home territories at a roundtable event in Venice hosted by Screen International and sponsored by the Saudi Film Commission.
In many ways, it seems a good time for non-English language films – audiences and awards have flocked to films and series like Parasite,...
Unifrance’s Daniela Elstner, Film i Vast’s Kristina Borjeson, and Lucky Red founder Andrea Occhipinti were among the international executives who came together to share insights into producing and distributing non-English language films outside of their home territories at a roundtable event in Venice hosted by Screen International and sponsored by the Saudi Film Commission.
In many ways, it seems a good time for non-English language films – audiences and awards have flocked to films and series like Parasite,...
- 9/7/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Speakers at Screen round-table in Venice included
Unifrance’s Daniela Elstner, Film i Vast’s Kristina Borjeson, and Lucky Red founder Andrea Occhipinti were among the international executives who came together to share insights into producing and distributing non-English language films outside of their home territories at a roundtable event in Venice sponsored by Screen International and the Saudi Film Commission.
In many ways, it seems a good time for non-English language films – audiences and awards have flocked to films and series like Parasite, All Quiet On The Western Front, Money Heist and Squid Game. However, programming at most cinemas...
Unifrance’s Daniela Elstner, Film i Vast’s Kristina Borjeson, and Lucky Red founder Andrea Occhipinti were among the international executives who came together to share insights into producing and distributing non-English language films outside of their home territories at a roundtable event in Venice sponsored by Screen International and the Saudi Film Commission.
In many ways, it seems a good time for non-English language films – audiences and awards have flocked to films and series like Parasite, All Quiet On The Western Front, Money Heist and Squid Game. However, programming at most cinemas...
- 9/7/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Sattar, the new Netflix film from Saudi Arabia features an absurd plot, and more than that, the choices by director Abdullah Al-Arak make Sattar leap from mundane reality into a fantasy world. Sattar: The Return of the Legendary Slap is at once a slapstick comedy and also a tale of following your dreams, even if the road to living your dreams is filled with some gut-punching reality, both literally and metaphorically.
The story of Sattar revolves around Saad, a young orphan who lived with his grandfather and got bit by the wrestling bug. Saad’s grandfather raised him on videotapes of entertainment wrestling, and Saad was enamored by that world. Little did he know that when he grew up, he would be an overweight guy, and his love for wrestling would be stifled by the responsibilities that surrounded him.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In ‘Sattar’ Movie?
Saad gets bullied at...
The story of Sattar revolves around Saad, a young orphan who lived with his grandfather and got bit by the wrestling bug. Saad’s grandfather raised him on videotapes of entertainment wrestling, and Saad was enamored by that world. Little did he know that when he grew up, he would be an overweight guy, and his love for wrestling would be stifled by the responsibilities that surrounded him.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In ‘Sattar’ Movie?
Saad gets bullied at...
- 8/26/2023
- by Ayush Awasthi
- Film Fugitives
There are some films that are technically very sound but are unable to move us, and then there are some films that seem to be meandering a bit, and yet there is something about them that inspires us. Sattar: The Return of the Legendary Slap is a film from Saudi Arabia that belongs to the latter category. The name of the film may suggest that this is a sequel, but you would be mistaken. The ‘slap’ does return in this film, though, and it does so in quite a ‘legendary’ fashion. There is something very unique about Sattar. Directed by Abdullah Al-Arak, Sattar is like a weird origin story of a superhero; somehow, the characters in this movie seem like they are part of a superhero universe. Then there is the aspect of the slapstick comedy that also works quite well, given the nature of the story.
The story is about a man named Saad,...
The story is about a man named Saad,...
- 8/25/2023
- by Ayush Awasthi
- Film Fugitives
Los Angeles, Aug 5 (Ians) Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ has been a point of contention in the Middle East and a lot of Islamic countries, with certain countries having banned it altogether such as Qatar and Kuwait.
The movie was released in the UAE, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was planning on releasing it on August 31 after making a few edits. But now the country is pondering over the possibility of a full on ban.
The movie was a big point in the Middle East because despite it being a fun hearted family comedy movie, the films’ LGBTQ+ themes alongside its consumerist attitude did not fare well in the Middle East, with Israel having released it.
Earlier, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had begun promoting its own local pictures such as ‘Sattar’ which overtook James Cameron’s ‘Avatar 2: The Way of Water’ by a massive margin. While they had...
The movie was released in the UAE, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was planning on releasing it on August 31 after making a few edits. But now the country is pondering over the possibility of a full on ban.
The movie was a big point in the Middle East because despite it being a fun hearted family comedy movie, the films’ LGBTQ+ themes alongside its consumerist attitude did not fare well in the Middle East, with Israel having released it.
Earlier, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had begun promoting its own local pictures such as ‘Sattar’ which overtook James Cameron’s ‘Avatar 2: The Way of Water’ by a massive margin. While they had...
- 8/5/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
In a surprising turn of events for Hollywood, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has now begun snubbing the industry as local language movies begin to dominate the market in Riyadh. ‘Avatar 2: The Way of Water’ which is one of the biggest films ever made, earning over $2.4 billion at the global box office, and did quite well in Ksa was knocked off quite unexpectedly by a local Saudi Arabian film called ‘Sattar’.
The movie is a family comedy drama movie which follows the life of a depressed man who follows his dreams of becoming a freestyle wrestling champion.
According to ‘The Hollywood Reporter’, The film — which had bowed at the Red Sea Film Festival just a month earlier — smashed box office records, earning $2.2 million over its first 12 days, instantly making it the highest-grossing Saudi movie of all time. Granted, the local film industry literally didn’t exist just a few...
The movie is a family comedy drama movie which follows the life of a depressed man who follows his dreams of becoming a freestyle wrestling champion.
According to ‘The Hollywood Reporter’, The film — which had bowed at the Red Sea Film Festival just a month earlier — smashed box office records, earning $2.2 million over its first 12 days, instantly making it the highest-grossing Saudi movie of all time. Granted, the local film industry literally didn’t exist just a few...
- 8/2/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
There was a shock at the top of the Saudi Arabian box office the first weekend of 2023.
Avatar: The Way of Water, in its third week of release and still a dominant force across the planet on its way to an overall haul in excess of $2.3 billion, was knocked off its perch by an unexpected assailant (and one wearing a multicolored luchador mask).
The new titleholder: Sattar, a Saudi Arabian family comedy about a depressed man who follows his dreams of becoming a freestyle wrestling champion. The film — which had bowed at the Red Sea Film Festival just a month earlier (and where, ironically, the subject of Saudi films not performing had been a talking point) — smashed box office records, earning $2.2 million over its first 12 days, instantly making it the highest-grossing Saudi movie of all time. Granted, the local film industry literally didn’t exist just a few years ago...
Avatar: The Way of Water, in its third week of release and still a dominant force across the planet on its way to an overall haul in excess of $2.3 billion, was knocked off its perch by an unexpected assailant (and one wearing a multicolored luchador mask).
The new titleholder: Sattar, a Saudi Arabian family comedy about a depressed man who follows his dreams of becoming a freestyle wrestling champion. The film — which had bowed at the Red Sea Film Festival just a month earlier (and where, ironically, the subject of Saudi films not performing had been a talking point) — smashed box office records, earning $2.2 million over its first 12 days, instantly making it the highest-grossing Saudi movie of all time. Granted, the local film industry literally didn’t exist just a few years ago...
- 8/1/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Egyptian comedy “Beit El Ruby,” about social media’s disruptive impact on the life of a quirky family, has scored a strong opening weekend in Saudi Arabia, ousting “The Flash,” in its second frame, from the top spot.
The local farce led by Egyptian superstars Karim Abel Aziz and Kareem Mahmoud Abdel Aziz was released on June 22. It has scored roughly 73,000 admissions across Saudi Arabia, grossing more than $1.1 million in its first frame. “The Flash,” by contrast, garnered a combined total of 91,000 admissions in Saudi cinemas in its first two frames.
According to the film’s co-distributor Front Row Arabia, the “Beit El Ruby” bow marks the fifth highest opening for an Arabic film in Saudi, which is the Middle East’s top theatrical movie market.
In “Beit El Ruby,” a man named Ibrahim Al Ruby and his family suddenly decide to leave the bustling city where they live following...
The local farce led by Egyptian superstars Karim Abel Aziz and Kareem Mahmoud Abdel Aziz was released on June 22. It has scored roughly 73,000 admissions across Saudi Arabia, grossing more than $1.1 million in its first frame. “The Flash,” by contrast, garnered a combined total of 91,000 admissions in Saudi cinemas in its first two frames.
According to the film’s co-distributor Front Row Arabia, the “Beit El Ruby” bow marks the fifth highest opening for an Arabic film in Saudi, which is the Middle East’s top theatrical movie market.
In “Beit El Ruby,” a man named Ibrahim Al Ruby and his family suddenly decide to leave the bustling city where they live following...
- 6/27/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
‘Paper Empire’ Sets Entire Third Season Shoot At Saudi Arabia’s Film AlUla
Cryptocurrency drama Paper Empire will film the entirety of its 10-episode third season at Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning shooting hub and location Film AlUla. Created and directed by Robert Gillings, the high-profile cast will feature Robert Davi, Denise Richards, Kelsey Grammar, Carole Alt, Helena Mattsson, Wesley Snipes, Anne Archer, Richard Grieco, Robert Knepper, Steve Guttenberg among a host of returning and guest stars. The action-drama series is produced by Robert Gillings Productions, Tadross Media Group and Inner Circle Films. “We are delighted the Paper Empire team will be basing their new season in AlUla, we’ve worked with the creative team to provide locations which underscore the glamour, opulence and world-class production value of the series,” said Film AlUla Director Charlene Deleon-Jones.
BBC Acquires Dark Irish Drama Series
The BBC and Australia’s Sbs have acquired Clean Sweep,...
Cryptocurrency drama Paper Empire will film the entirety of its 10-episode third season at Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning shooting hub and location Film AlUla. Created and directed by Robert Gillings, the high-profile cast will feature Robert Davi, Denise Richards, Kelsey Grammar, Carole Alt, Helena Mattsson, Wesley Snipes, Anne Archer, Richard Grieco, Robert Knepper, Steve Guttenberg among a host of returning and guest stars. The action-drama series is produced by Robert Gillings Productions, Tadross Media Group and Inner Circle Films. “We are delighted the Paper Empire team will be basing their new season in AlUla, we’ve worked with the creative team to provide locations which underscore the glamour, opulence and world-class production value of the series,” said Film AlUla Director Charlene Deleon-Jones.
BBC Acquires Dark Irish Drama Series
The BBC and Australia’s Sbs have acquired Clean Sweep,...
- 6/21/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow and Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Production company agrees partnership deal with media hub.
Saudi Arabia’s Neom and leading local production company Telfaz11 have announced a partnership that will see up to nine TV and film productions filming at the media hub over the next three years.
Two feature films and one series are currently in development under the new arrangement.
Telfaz11’s comedy drama Sattar, set in the world of freestyle wrestling, became the highest-grossing Saudi film of all time following its release in December 2022. The company struck an eight-picture deal with Netflix in 2020.
Telfaz11 also plans to establish a physical presence at Neom...
Saudi Arabia’s Neom and leading local production company Telfaz11 have announced a partnership that will see up to nine TV and film productions filming at the media hub over the next three years.
Two feature films and one series are currently in development under the new arrangement.
Telfaz11’s comedy drama Sattar, set in the world of freestyle wrestling, became the highest-grossing Saudi film of all time following its release in December 2022. The company struck an eight-picture deal with Netflix in 2020.
Telfaz11 also plans to establish a physical presence at Neom...
- 6/1/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Neom, the burgeoning production hub in northwestern Saudi Arabia, and Telfaz11, a studio specializing in content from the Middle East that was behind this year’s Saudi Oscar submission Raven Song, have struck a partnership for the creation of up to nine TV and film projects over the next three years.
“The collaboration between Neom and Telfaz11 will accelerate the growth of Neom’s media industries ecosystem, ensuring a rich pipeline of productions, including two feature films and one series currently in development under the new arrangement,” the partners said Thursday.
Telfaz11 recently debuted its latest theatrical feature Sattar, which has become the highest-grossing Saudi film of all time.
In addition to productions, the studio plans to establish a physical presence at Neom’s media hub by opening an office there this year, complementing its existing offices in the Saudi capital Riyadh and Dubai. “Neom will also leverage Telfaz11’s...
“The collaboration between Neom and Telfaz11 will accelerate the growth of Neom’s media industries ecosystem, ensuring a rich pipeline of productions, including two feature films and one series currently in development under the new arrangement,” the partners said Thursday.
Telfaz11 recently debuted its latest theatrical feature Sattar, which has become the highest-grossing Saudi film of all time.
In addition to productions, the studio plans to establish a physical presence at Neom’s media hub by opening an office there this year, complementing its existing offices in the Saudi capital Riyadh and Dubai. “Neom will also leverage Telfaz11’s...
- 6/1/2023
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Neom, the Saudi Arabian region that is aiming to become a major film and TV production hub, and prolific Middle East-focused studio Telfaz11, have revealed a partnership.
The deal will see the creation of up to nine television and film productions over the next three years and includes two feature films and one series that are currently in development. Telfaz11 will also open offices this year in Neom’s media hub, complementing its existing offices in Riyadh and Dubai. Neom plans to leverage Telfaz11’s new offices to diversify its industry learning activities and multi-disciplinary talent development programs in order to create a talent pool.
“Sattar,” on which Telfaz11 is one of the producers, has become the highest grossing Saudi film of all time. Neom has provided the backdrop for 30 productions in the last 18 months, including Rupert Wyatt’s “Desert Warrior,” starring Anthony Mackie and Sir Ben Kingsley; Rajkumar Hirani’s “Dunki,...
The deal will see the creation of up to nine television and film productions over the next three years and includes two feature films and one series that are currently in development. Telfaz11 will also open offices this year in Neom’s media hub, complementing its existing offices in Riyadh and Dubai. Neom plans to leverage Telfaz11’s new offices to diversify its industry learning activities and multi-disciplinary talent development programs in order to create a talent pool.
“Sattar,” on which Telfaz11 is one of the producers, has become the highest grossing Saudi film of all time. Neom has provided the backdrop for 30 productions in the last 18 months, including Rupert Wyatt’s “Desert Warrior,” starring Anthony Mackie and Sir Ben Kingsley; Rajkumar Hirani’s “Dunki,...
- 6/1/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli and Naman Ramachandran
- 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
In early January this year, the Guy Ritchie spy comedy thriller Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre — a typically frenetic Ritchie actioner starring Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza and Hugh Grant — started earning decent figures around the world. In Russia, it topped 9 million, while in Australia it passed 4 million. In Saudi Arabia — where action films have often punched above their weight — the film helped ensure Avatar: The Way of Water enjoyed a solitary week at number one (and was only kept off the top spot itself by local hit Sattar). So far, so “yeah, so what?”
But the interesting thing about Operation Fortune’s, ahem, fortune, is that it was all achieved without a U.S. distributor in place. In fact, it was only on Feb. 13 — by which time the film had amassed 29 million internationally — that Lionsgate announced it had acquired the feature, setting a March 3 domestic release date.
While undoubtedly not...
But the interesting thing about Operation Fortune’s, ahem, fortune, is that it was all achieved without a U.S. distributor in place. In fact, it was only on Feb. 13 — by which time the film had amassed 29 million internationally — that Lionsgate announced it had acquired the feature, setting a March 3 domestic release date.
While undoubtedly not...
- 2/17/2023
- by Alex Ritman and Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
‘Epic Tails’, ‘Titanic’ re-release, ‘Blue Jean’ hit cinemas.
Stripping comedy-drama Magic Mike’s Last Dance shimmies its way into 646 UK-Ireland cinemas this weekend through Warner Bros – almost 150 cinemas above the previous Magic Mike’s opening number.
Steven Soderbergh returns to direct the third and final Magic Mike instalment, having directed the first film and been cinematographer on the second.
In Last Dance, after a business deal leaves Channing Tatum’s Mike Lane broke and returning to the dance stage, he heads to London where a wealthy socialite has made him an offer he can’t refuse. Salma Hayek Pinault joins the cast,...
Stripping comedy-drama Magic Mike’s Last Dance shimmies its way into 646 UK-Ireland cinemas this weekend through Warner Bros – almost 150 cinemas above the previous Magic Mike’s opening number.
Steven Soderbergh returns to direct the third and final Magic Mike instalment, having directed the first film and been cinematographer on the second.
In Last Dance, after a business deal leaves Channing Tatum’s Mike Lane broke and returning to the dance stage, he heads to London where a wealthy socialite has made him an offer he can’t refuse. Salma Hayek Pinault joins the cast,...
- 2/10/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
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
Saudi wrestling comedy “Sattar” is scoring record-breaking results at the home box office where the satiric actioner has obtained over 159,000 admissions and grossed 2.2 million since its Dec. 29 release.
The film has become the highest grossing local title since Saudi Arabia revoked a 35-year ban on the operation of commercial movie theaters in Dec. 2017.
Directed by Kuwaiti’s Abdullah Al Arak, “Sattar,” which launched positively in early December from the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, has now rapidly bested the the 151,000 admissions pulled by Saudi Arabia’s previous record holder for a local title, “Born a King,” through its entire run. Released in 2020, “Born a King” is an inspirational biopic of Saudi King Faisal, set against the backdrop of his diplomatic mission as a young prince in London in 1919 at the tender age of 13 to plead for non-intervention in Arabia.
By contrast, “Sattar” stars Saudi actor and stand-up comedian Ibrahim Al Hajjaj...
The film has become the highest grossing local title since Saudi Arabia revoked a 35-year ban on the operation of commercial movie theaters in Dec. 2017.
Directed by Kuwaiti’s Abdullah Al Arak, “Sattar,” which launched positively in early December from the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, has now rapidly bested the the 151,000 admissions pulled by Saudi Arabia’s previous record holder for a local title, “Born a King,” through its entire run. Released in 2020, “Born a King” is an inspirational biopic of Saudi King Faisal, set against the backdrop of his diplomatic mission as a young prince in London in 1919 at the tender age of 13 to plead for non-intervention in Arabia.
By contrast, “Sattar” stars Saudi actor and stand-up comedian Ibrahim Al Hajjaj...
- 1/9/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Saudi Arabian family comedy Sattar, about a depressed man who decides to pursue his dreams of becoming a freestyle wrestling champion, has set a new box office record for a local film at home.
The film has drawn 159,000 spectators for a gross of 2.2m over the course of its first 12 days on release to become the highest-grossing local film of all time in the territory, according to distributor Front Row Arabia, the joint distribution label between pan-Arab distributor Front Row Filmed and local exhibitor Muvi Cinema.
The distributor said that in its opening weekend, Sattar took the top slot from James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, then on its third week of release, outpacing the blockbuster by more than 40 in terms of admissions and 32 in gross.
Front Row Arabia said that strong word of mouth meant the film title dropped just 11 on the second weekend, in spite of widespread thunderstorms across the country,...
The film has drawn 159,000 spectators for a gross of 2.2m over the course of its first 12 days on release to become the highest-grossing local film of all time in the territory, according to distributor Front Row Arabia, the joint distribution label between pan-Arab distributor Front Row Filmed and local exhibitor Muvi Cinema.
The distributor said that in its opening weekend, Sattar took the top slot from James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, then on its third week of release, outpacing the blockbuster by more than 40 in terms of admissions and 32 in gross.
Front Row Arabia said that strong word of mouth meant the film title dropped just 11 on the second weekend, in spite of widespread thunderstorms across the country,...
- 1/9/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
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