ALULA’S INVESTMENT INTO THE LOCAL ECOSYSTEM IS SET TO TRANSFORM THE REGION INTO A NEW POWERHOUSE OF CREATIVE PRODUCTION
AlUla, June 2022: Film AlUla, the Royal Commission for AlUla’s film agency today announced that production since 2021 has increased 370%, with a feature film, 12 TV series, 8 documentaries and 38 commercials underway or having completion in Q2 of this year. In a bid to meet the demands, plans are now underway to build studio facilities which will comprise of two soundstages, both 24,000 square feet, as well as support facilities, including production offices, catering, film clusters, and a backlot. A film resort, designated for film professionals and designed for film operations with 300 high-quality, fully-furnished accommodation units, film-friendly office space for short and long-term stays, and recreational areas is now open.
As the film ecosystem continues to develop, businesses are now locating to AlUla in a bid to attract large-scale international productions, as well as catering to the domestic market.
Companies that are now fully established in AlUla includeArabia Pictures Group, a Saudi based multifaceted media and entertainment company dedicated to film production, distribution, training, events management and advertising. With extensive experience of the culture and local language along with International standards,
APG is perfectly positioned to support the boom in both local and international film production.
APG has most recently co-produced several commercial films including the successful Egyptian comedy "Hamel El Lakab", and distributed films in Saudi Arabia including Channing Tatum's "Dog" and Indian's sensation "RRR". Arabia Pictures will also launch the first ever European Film Festival in Riyadh this month.
“We are thrilled to be joining forces with Film AlUla in supporting the growing film industry and working together to attract more projects to film in this inspiring location,” explained Roua Almadani, CEO of APG.
Shoot On Set Services - a turnkey service provider for the film, production and creative industries is another company now established in AlUla. Shoot offers agile purpose-built solutions, operating under 2 main divisions; On Set Food - providing specialised catering and hospitality services - and On Set Services - offering Infrastructure, Logistics and Technical Support.
The home-grown company has a wealth of knowledge and experience serving a myriad of industry giants from Disney to Netflix, Bollywood, Coldplay and most recently Ric Roman Waugh’s “Kandahar” that was shot entirely in AlUla, delivering a total of 40,000 meals over the span of 2 months, alongside Location Support Services and Equipment, provisioning more than 30 of the remotest locations.
Film AlUla is also investing in ongoing world-class training and skills development to build a fully-fledged workforce to boost the growth of film production and accelerate the flourishing film sector in Saudi Arabia.
Stephen Strachan, Film Commissioner at Film AlUla, said: “As we strive to attract productions from around the world, we are focusing heavily on building infrastructure and developing our film ecosystem to ensure that AlUla is in a position to deliver a world-class studio environment for all productions. The effect of Kandahar shooting in AlUla has had a direct economic impact on AlUla and has been a great advertisement for local businesses to base their operations here. We are very excited about the prospect of more companies setting up AlUla as we aim to consolidate our position on the international map."
As the film ecosystem continues to develop, businesses are now locating to AlUla in a bid to attract large-scale international productions, as well as catering to the domestic market.
Companies that are now fully established in AlUla includeArabia Pictures Group, a Saudi based multifaceted media and entertainment company dedicated to film production, distribution, training, events management and advertising. With extensive experience of the culture and local language along with International standards,
APG is perfectly positioned to support the boom in both local and international film production.
APG has most recently co-produced several commercial films including the successful Egyptian comedy "Hamel El Lakab", and distributed films in Saudi Arabia including Channing Tatum's "Dog" and Indian's sensation "RRR". Arabia Pictures will also launch the first ever European Film Festival in Riyadh this month.
“We are thrilled to be joining forces with Film AlUla in supporting the growing film industry and working together to attract more projects to film in this inspiring location,” explained Roua Almadani, CEO of APG.
Shoot On Set Services - a turnkey service provider for the film, production and creative industries is another company now established in AlUla. Shoot offers agile purpose-built solutions, operating under 2 main divisions; On Set Food - providing specialised catering and hospitality services - and On Set Services - offering Infrastructure, Logistics and Technical Support.
The home-grown company has a wealth of knowledge and experience serving a myriad of industry giants from Disney to Netflix, Bollywood, Coldplay and most recently Ric Roman Waugh’s “Kandahar” that was shot entirely in AlUla, delivering a total of 40,000 meals over the span of 2 months, alongside Location Support Services and Equipment, provisioning more than 30 of the remotest locations.
Film AlUla is also investing in ongoing world-class training and skills development to build a fully-fledged workforce to boost the growth of film production and accelerate the flourishing film sector in Saudi Arabia.
Stephen Strachan, Film Commissioner at Film AlUla, said: “As we strive to attract productions from around the world, we are focusing heavily on building infrastructure and developing our film ecosystem to ensure that AlUla is in a position to deliver a world-class studio environment for all productions. The effect of Kandahar shooting in AlUla has had a direct economic impact on AlUla and has been a great advertisement for local businesses to base their operations here. We are very excited about the prospect of more companies setting up AlUla as we aim to consolidate our position on the international map."