If there is a person who has felt a dramatic change in Saudi Arabia’s film industry, then it is Haifa al-Mansaur.
When he started his direction in 2011 shooting “Wadzada”, he was forced to direct outdoor scenes from “Inside A Van” due to isolation. There was no industry to talk about it that he could actually support him a lot.
“It was just a logically very difficult for me as a filmmaker,” he said.
For over 10 years, Al-Mansaur has returned to shoot two more features in Saudi Arabia, 2019 “The Perfect Candidates” and upcoming crime thriller “unknown”, but now with full weight of a country that is investing in art and culture.
“Now I think I’m on the streets,” he said. “It is really a wonderful feeling to go back home and be able to be able to be able to be able to be on the streets and shoot, and to be able to flourish the art in the country. This is really a wonderful moment.”
Speaking on the panel for Al-Mansaur Film alula As part of the Variety Global Conversation Summit held at the festival. Established in 2020 and formally launched in ear that year, the film Alula overtook the fast growing film manufacturing activities in the historic North Western region of Saudi Arabia, which is home to a UNESCO heritage site, but also has a increasing number of studio facilities and presentations.
“I think it’s a beautiful, beautiful place when it comes to landscape and they also have this amazing encouragement,” said Al-Mansaur. “The people there want to promote the place, so you go there and there is a team that helps you find your locations, and ensure that your crew is taken care of. When you have a partner, it takes too much burden that wants you to succeed and invest in your journey.”
Stuart Sadherland, CEO of Celtic Films Entertainment, who also spoke on the panel, is the direct experience of it, shooting the Gerard Butler Actioner “Kandahar” in Alula in 2021. At that time, it was the biggest shooting film in Saudi Arabia. The shoot for “Kandahar” really helped to create a blueprint as to how Alula would handle large -scale presentations.
“It was my view that we should go to Alula,” he said. “But I was like an empty canvas. Everything was possible, and we were also working on how the industry was going to be, starting on the ground.”
A lot has happened in Alula after welcoming “Kandahar” in Alula, as the film’s executive director Zaid Shekar said. He said, “In 2024, we hosted over 85 projects, including facilities, ankripted programs, video clips and various projects,” he said, pointing to the recently signed partnership with Manhattan Beach Studio to operate Alula’s studio.
Outside the sound stages of Alula, Saudi Arabia’s entire film production landscape has carried forward leaps and boundary, going from some evil directors that are trying to connect films together, which is possible for a rapid growing industry to welcome more skilled workers a day.
Al-Mansaur said that he has not felt this change from “Wadjda” to “right candidate”, but even between that feature and his upcoming film “unknown”.
He said, “It is really good to see more experiences and more understanding people about what a film is, where the scouting is and the real casting director, where before it is to sit in a dingi hotel for someone who knows someone, who knows someone,” he explained.
For “unknown”, this decline is expected to release, he said that he had “amazing, saudi lady” as a casting director.
“She was just like that, how many extra artists do you want? I am going to bring them to you,” she said “I was really doubtful, but she was amazing and was really distributed and she is just amazing.”
