FILM ALULA AND STAMPEDE VENTURES ANNOUNCE FIRST TWO FILMS IN 10-PROJECT PRODUCTION PARTNERSHIP
Fourth Wall and Chasing Red to start production at AlUla in Q2 2024 as partnership’s pipeline begins paying dividends
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – 02 December 2023: Film AlUla, the Royal Commission for AlUla’s film agency, and global media company Stampede Ventures, under the leadership of founder and CEO Greg Silverman, today announced that their three-year, 10-project deal will kick off with production of Fourth Wall and Chasing Red in AlUla. Both films are scheduled for filming in AlUla in Q2 2024.
Silverman is a producer of Fourth Wall alongside Jon Berg, with Gideon Yu, Chris Bosco, Mike Tadross and Grant Torre serving as Executive Producers. The thriller is about a former child star from a popular TV sitcom who is kidnapped and wakes up in a complete recreation of the show’s set with the rest of the cast. The plot follows her journey as she works through her trauma and recreates the series’ most iconic moments to stay alive and find a way out.
Chasing Red is a romance centred around straight-A student Veronica and rich playboy Caleb, who are brought together by an unexpected series of events. The film adaptation of the book by Isabelle Ronin is being directed by Jessika Borsiczky and Silverman will serve as producer with Jon Berg, while Gideon Yu, Chris Bosco, Mike Tadross and Grant Torre will be credited as Executive Producers.
Production officials from Film AlUla and Stampede recently scouted locations for both films in the stunning landscapes of AlUla County in north-west Saudi Arabia.
The announcement was made at the Red Sea International Film Festival (Nov 30-Dec 9) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where Film AlUla is a strategic partner.
The groundbreaking partnership between Film AlUla and Stampede, finalised at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 24, will play a significant role in growing AlUla from a regional creative hub to a platform for global filmmaking talent. The partnership, which includes Film AlUla providing rebates and incentives, is closely aligned to realization of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals to foster cultural development.
The two movies will be among the first to be filmed at Film AlUla’s full-service world-class production facility that includes a 30,000 square foot soundstage, backlot, production support buildings, workshops, warehouses, recording studio, training and rehearsal space, cafeteria, event space and administration building.
Charlene Deleon-Jones, Executive Director, Film AlUla, said: “These two productions will create economic and creative opportunities for the people of AlUla. Film AlUla is committed to diversifying the economy and nurturing home-grown talent in collaboration with valued partners such as Stampede Ventures. This opportunity will generate a wide array of training and employment prospects for local residents by introducing experts to oversee mentoring programs.”
Greg Silverman, Chief Executive Officer, Stampede Studios said: “Stampede’s mission to connect people through their favorite stories is moved forward dramatically by the commitment to Film Alula, connecting the audiences who will see these films, while also connecting the established filmmakers from all over the world who will be collaborating with the burgeoning filmmakers in The Kingdom. We are very grateful for the opportunity.”
Silverman is an entertainment industry veteran known for his track record at Warner Bros. where he
shepherded over 125 films to more than $38 billion in worldwide box office, most notably Harry Potter,
Chris Nolan’s Batman series, Zack Snyder’s 300, Todd Phillips’ iconic Hangover trilogy, and Joker. He also brought American Sniper, Gravity, the Lego franchise, The Great Gatsby, Argo and Mad Max: Fury Road and countless others to audiences worldwide over his epic 20-year run at Warner Bros.
As the Royal Commission for AlUla’s film agency, Film AlUla has been a key player in the development of the film industry in Saudi Arabia. Since 2020, the entity has hosted over 700 days of filming including the action movie Kandahar starring Gerard Butler, the Russo brothers’ drama Cherry starring Tom Holland, and Saudi filmmaker Tawfik Alzaidi’s debut feature Norah, the first Saudi feature film to be shot at AlUla and featuring an all-Saudi cast and over 40% Saudi crew. TV productions filmed in AlUla include the British series Expedition with Steve Backshall and Nat Geo documentaries, along with commercials, promos, photo shoots and short films.
Silverman is a producer of Fourth Wall alongside Jon Berg, with Gideon Yu, Chris Bosco, Mike Tadross and Grant Torre serving as Executive Producers. The thriller is about a former child star from a popular TV sitcom who is kidnapped and wakes up in a complete recreation of the show’s set with the rest of the cast. The plot follows her journey as she works through her trauma and recreates the series’ most iconic moments to stay alive and find a way out.
Chasing Red is a romance centred around straight-A student Veronica and rich playboy Caleb, who are brought together by an unexpected series of events. The film adaptation of the book by Isabelle Ronin is being directed by Jessika Borsiczky and Silverman will serve as producer with Jon Berg, while Gideon Yu, Chris Bosco, Mike Tadross and Grant Torre will be credited as Executive Producers.
Production officials from Film AlUla and Stampede recently scouted locations for both films in the stunning landscapes of AlUla County in north-west Saudi Arabia.
The announcement was made at the Red Sea International Film Festival (Nov 30-Dec 9) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where Film AlUla is a strategic partner.
The groundbreaking partnership between Film AlUla and Stampede, finalised at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 24, will play a significant role in growing AlUla from a regional creative hub to a platform for global filmmaking talent. The partnership, which includes Film AlUla providing rebates and incentives, is closely aligned to realization of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals to foster cultural development.
The two movies will be among the first to be filmed at Film AlUla’s full-service world-class production facility that includes a 30,000 square foot soundstage, backlot, production support buildings, workshops, warehouses, recording studio, training and rehearsal space, cafeteria, event space and administration building.
Charlene Deleon-Jones, Executive Director, Film AlUla, said: “These two productions will create economic and creative opportunities for the people of AlUla. Film AlUla is committed to diversifying the economy and nurturing home-grown talent in collaboration with valued partners such as Stampede Ventures. This opportunity will generate a wide array of training and employment prospects for local residents by introducing experts to oversee mentoring programs.”
Greg Silverman, Chief Executive Officer, Stampede Studios said: “Stampede’s mission to connect people through their favorite stories is moved forward dramatically by the commitment to Film Alula, connecting the audiences who will see these films, while also connecting the established filmmakers from all over the world who will be collaborating with the burgeoning filmmakers in The Kingdom. We are very grateful for the opportunity.”
Silverman is an entertainment industry veteran known for his track record at Warner Bros. where he
shepherded over 125 films to more than $38 billion in worldwide box office, most notably Harry Potter,
Chris Nolan’s Batman series, Zack Snyder’s 300, Todd Phillips’ iconic Hangover trilogy, and Joker. He also brought American Sniper, Gravity, the Lego franchise, The Great Gatsby, Argo and Mad Max: Fury Road and countless others to audiences worldwide over his epic 20-year run at Warner Bros.
As the Royal Commission for AlUla’s film agency, Film AlUla has been a key player in the development of the film industry in Saudi Arabia. Since 2020, the entity has hosted over 700 days of filming including the action movie Kandahar starring Gerard Butler, the Russo brothers’ drama Cherry starring Tom Holland, and Saudi filmmaker Tawfik Alzaidi’s debut feature Norah, the first Saudi feature film to be shot at AlUla and featuring an all-Saudi cast and over 40% Saudi crew. TV productions filmed in AlUla include the British series Expedition with Steve Backshall and Nat Geo documentaries, along with commercials, promos, photo shoots and short films.