Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic At the push of a button, a huge sliding door glides shut and an eerie silence falls over a cavernous hall inside a newly constructed complex in Saudi Arabia’s desert. The 25,000 sq ft space is one of two soundproofed stages in a brand new movie studio complex near the city of AlUla in the kingdom’s Medina region. “This is better than the international standard,” a worker at the site said. “If you spend $160mn on a film, you can’t risk that the studio doesn’t work.” The development is part of a push by Riyadh to lure international filmmakers to the kingdom in its drive to diversify its economy away from oil, with the industry seen as a source of jobs and a way to boost tourism by showcasing the country’s landscapes — from ancient mud towns to islands in the Red Sea — in movies.“Film, as beautiful as it is, is an industry,” said Charlene Deleon-Jones, executive director of Film AlUla, a government programme promoting the sector in the city, which is home to Saudi Arabia’s first Unesco World Heritage site.“It provides significant direct jobs and . . . a strong indirect economic impact on local businesses.”But the initiative comes as some in the creative industries continue to shun involvement with Saudi Arabia following the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the country’s consulate in Istanbul. Concerns about the kingdom’s punishing heat and wariness of its social restrictions also deter filmmakers, analysts say.Despite this, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto ruler, has identified arts and entertainment as sectors with a high growth potential. The Saudi landscapes have already drawn foreign filmmakers. Kandahar, an action film starring Scottish actor Gerard Butler, was partly shot in the country in 2021-22.Officials know, however, that scenic beauty is not enough to lure filmmakers to a land where summer temperatures often reach 50°C. The new studios are part of an effort to improve facilities and allow year-round production. “What do you put in place so filming can happen in and out of season?” said Deleon-Jones. “That’s what you’ve seen us develop in this studio and . . . infrastructure across the kingdom.” The government is also offering financial incentives. The state-run Saudi Film Commission gives rebates of up to 40 per cent on production spending, compared with the 30 per cent offered by regional rivals such as Egypt and Morocco. Filmmakers can also apply for a share of a $234mn Saudi Cultural Development Fund pot.Film commission officials say their incentive package gives Saudi Arabia a competitive advantage. “In other countries you just get the cash rebate, then you are on your own when it comes to dealing with different government departments,” said one. “We handle the whole thing.”But some in Hollywood say continued revulsion at the Khashoggi killing makes many in the industry reluctant to take investment from the kingdom. A US intelligence report concluded that Prince Mohammed approved a mission to “capture or kill” the journalist, although Riyadh blamed a “rogue operation” and said he was not aware of it. When the Saudis made their first push into Hollywood in 2018, some Los Angeles dealmakers were excited about the influx of capital. “It was like, ‘game on’,” said one. But the enthusiasm “didn’t last very long, and since [Khashoggi] it’s been a little more ad hoc”, the dealmaker said. Ari Emanuel, chief executive of US entertainment giant Endeavor, had been on the verge of selling a stake in the company to Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund for $400mn before backtracking in 2019 amid the outcry over Khashoggi.One product of the 2018 push was a $200mn investment in Penske Media by the Saudi Research and Media Group. Penske owns the Golden Globes award show and controls top Hollywood trade magazines, including Variety, Hollywood Reporter and Deadline, which cover the Red Sea International Film Festival held in Jeddah every winter. Another recipient of Saudi funding was AGBO, the production company owned by brothers Anthony and Joseph Russo, who directed box-office blockbuster “Avengers: Endgame”. AGBO took a $50mn cash infusion from Saudi Arabia in 2020.Stampede Ventures, founded by Warner Bros veteran Greg Silverman, signed a deal last year to use the new AlUla studios for 10 projects over the next three years.Saudi officials are also targeting filmmakers beyond Hollywood. One fund has injected money into European productions, including French film Jeanne du Barry.Indian star Shah Rukh Khan filmed parts of his new movie Dunki in the kingdom in 2022. The film commission also participated in the Shanghai International Film Festival in June, describing it as a “strategic move to establish the kingdom as a global cinematic hub”.But the eagerness to court foreign productions has rankled with domestic filmmakers as the local industry seeks to expand after Riyadh eased some social restrictions. A ban on cinemas was lifted in 2018 and curbs on entertainment were softened.Actor Hakeem Jomah, who has worked on Kandahar and other foreign films in the kingdom, said he would rather “the money went to Saudi crews, Saudi films”.The film commission said its incentive package was available to local and foreign films. Despite Riyadh’s push, problems faced even by big-budget international movies could persuade producers the Saudi industry has a long way to go, say analysts.Desert Warrior, an action drama written and directed by Rupert Wyatt, began shooting during the coronavirus pandemic in the futuristic Neom economic zone. But it remains in post-production without a release date, despite a $150mn budget backed by AGC Studios of the US and Saudi state-owned MBC Group. “This is the first time we’ve done a movie of this stature,” said MBC chief executive Sam Barnett.“I think the challenge has been having the level of resources required for the studios . . . so that there’s sufficient capacity, facilities, equipment, talent.”Additional reporting by Chloe Cornish in Dubai
