Saudi Arabia has the opportunity to be “at the vanguard of change” in the global film industry, according to David Unger, CEO of the US’ Artist International Group.
Speaking at a panel entitled ‘The Growth of International Content and Potential Investment Opportunities’ which took place during the second edition of Saudi Film Confex in Riyadh (October 9-12), Ungar described the energy of Saudi creatives as “like nothing I’ve seen anywhere in the world.”
“Hollywood has made films the same way for over 100 years, but digital technology has changed those rules,” he said. “That is what is exciting about a country like Saudi Arabia, because it has the support and enthusiasm of the government but it is not beholden by the old systems. It’s going to be AI first, mobile first, all of that innovation is going to come from here.”
The panel, which also featured Jonathan Olsberg, chairman of UK consultancy firm Olsberg SPI, primarily focused on the steps Saudi Arabia is taking to enhance its position in the global film landscape.
Olsberg observed the country had “demonstrated substantial ambition and determination to become a global player in a very fast paced way,” pointing to the “very sensible, focused and well supported strategies” that have been put in place by the Saudi Arabian Film Commission, Ministry of Culture and regional bodies like Film AlUla and Neom.
Olsberg also said he was “impressed at the speed and confidence” with which Saudi Arabia had implemented the four pillars of strategy — incentives, infrastructure, work force and film friendliness — required to show the world it is open for business.
“Saudi is a large country with a large population, including a large young population. You have a domestic market large enough to support content you want to make, you speak a language that is a major diaspora around the world. And you have a major international scale broadcaster investing in content that has capacity, facilities and infrastructure. That is something very beneficial,” Olsberg explained.
Referencing the fact that while 60% of streaming services’ production was funded by US companies, only 40% was filmed in the US, Olsberg said that this was a “huge opportunity for this country, bearing in mind its size, language and stories, to increase its market share of these types of productions.”
The panel particularly highlighted the opportunity presented by streaming services to enable authentic local stories to find a way to the international market.
“Those authentic voices are here and I’m passionate about finding and nurturing and those voices,” said Ungar, pointing to a promo trailer for the upcoming tennis tournament Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, as being an example of such local talent. “The creatives that made the advert are Saudi. It was dazzling. As good as anything Marvel has done. I want to see these guys make movies.”
Sharing stories
While Ungar noted language was still a potential barrier for entry, it was about “finding talent that is not afraid to share stories in other languages.”
“Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was an incredible way for the West to discover Asia and I’m hoping I can help Saudis to find their own version, that plays to a larger market and will travel beyond the borders of this country,” explained Ungar, who first forged links with the Saudi Arabian film industry at the Red Sea Film Festival and is now helping to grow the country’s talent infrastructure.
“There needs to be training, acting schools, film schools, publicity companies. They already exist in a nascent form, but they’re going to be best in class soon because they can showcase their talent in more innovative, dynamic ways.”
Ungar also stressed that there was never a better time for young Saudi Arabian filmmakers to get their voices heard internationally. “The entertainment business has been democratised because of streaming and the internet, so that a young filmmaker in Saudi Arabia has just as much chance as a young filmmaker in Brooklyn. What I’m excited about is seeing how the Kingdom has put so many resources into the hands of young talent to give them the opportunity to tell their stories.”
Meanwhile, Olsberg also highlighted the potential for more co-productions and multi cultural training schemes to help forge creative partnerships across the region. He pointed to the Doha Film Institute’s scheme, Qumra — which brings together regional filmmakers with regional distributors and financiers — as something Saudi Arabia could hope to emulate.
“It’s about helping talent internationalise their network,” Olsberg advised, “by bringing international partners here as well as taking Saudi talent to big international markets like Cannes and Berlin and giving them a structured way to engage with other creatives.”
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