Saudi Arabia’s investments have bought it a weapon of soft power, to be deployed at home and abroad. The country will be able to spin its own narratives, on its own terms
The location is doubly disorientating. Cinema was banned in Saudi Arabia in the early 1980s, under pressure from religious conservatives. But now the country is making an unlikely pitch to become a Hollywood of the desert. Cinemas are opening in every town. In early December Jeddah hosted the inaugural Red Sea film festival. And foreign producers are being tempted in to shoot their movies, as the government spends billions on a new local industry with international ambitions.
The next step is to bring in foreign film-makers, and learn from them. A few have already dipped their toes in the sand. In February Apple+ released “Cherry”, a drama about an American veteran; the scenes in Iraq were shot in Al Ula. “Kandahar”, now close to wrapping, is a co-production between Thunder Road Films, which made “Sicario”, andAGC
The other part of the pitch is money. On December 14th the Saudi Film Commission announced that it would offer film-makers rebates of up to 40% of their costs, one of the most generous incentive packages in the world. Local production partners have deep pockets, too.
To do the same, Saudi Arabia must become more than a backdrop and bankroller. Its hopes lie in Neom, an encampment of 2,000 people and a lot of diggers on the Red Sea, close to the Egyptian border. By 2030 the government expects this desert building site to be a city of 2m, specialising in digital industries. That will include the region’s “first true media hub”, says Wayne Borg, an Australian formerly of Fox Studios, who is in charge of developing media industries in the futuristic city.
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