Saudi Arabia’s local film industry is one of the country’s fastest-growing cultural sectors, being an integral part of the government’s Vision 2030 programme. Although local Saudi Arabian film production is still in the earliest stages of development, so far, 10 locally produced films have been featured by the country’s entertainment industry. The Vision 2030 initiative hopes to see as many as 50 to 80 locally produced movies in the years ahead toward 2030 and beyond.
A news highlight for the year about the country’s rapidly growing movie and entertainment industry is the premiere showing of “Within Sand,” in the December 2022 holding of The Red Sea International Film Festival (TRSIFF). The significance of the movie’s successful entry with TRSIFF is the indication that the film outfit received considerable financial backing from The Red Sea Fund. The latter provides as much as USD 14 million a year as financial support annually to the production of 100 film projects undertaken by Arab and African Saudi filmmakers.
About NEOM and “Within Sand”
“Within Sand” is the first locally produced film shot entirely in NEOM, Saudi Arabia. NEOM is an ambitious Saudi Vision 2030 project of building the world’s first truly “smart city”. Located in Saudi Arabia’s north-west coast, whilst measuring 10,230 square miles facing Egypt across the Red Sea, the city offers a diverse environment of snow-capped mountains and sun-drenched beaches.
Part of the government’s promotion of NEOM includes the availability of financial support available to both local and international film and TV show producers. The Saudi Film Commission announced in early 2022 the granting of a cash rebate of up to 40% of the budget of a NEOM-based film.
Within Sand director, Mohammed Al-Atawi spoke of how the story must take place in an environment that reflects the title. He said he wanted to give an authentic depiction of a natural relationship between man and animal (wolf). The Saudi Arabian director deemed the NEOM desert as the best representation of nature’s mystery and harshness.
Yet he also talked about the many challenges faced by Saudi filmmakers in the processing and production of a film. Although the government had set up a USD 234 million Cultural Development Fund, the Film Sector Financing Programme provides financial assistance in terms of loans, loan guarantees and grants. According to Within Sand Director Al-Atawi, management of funding is also a crucial factor.
Other filmmakers were forced to close down due to funding issues. Production and post production costs are not trivial matters, especially when filming in a dynamic place like NEOM. Here, it becomes crucial for the film production outfit to consider only the most cost effective strategies, such as choosing the ارخص شركة تنظيف بجدة (the cheapest cleaning company in Jeddah.)