Saudi announces incentive for local & international filmmakers

Jeddah: The Saudi Film Commission has announced its initiative to help local and international movie production companies in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Press Agency reported. The incentive programme to support, motivate, and attract production companies to shoot films in the country, was announced during the first Red Sea International Film Festival here.

The commission wishes to elevate Saudi Arabia to the position of a global destination for the film industry. The initiative will provide a platform for aspiring filmmakers to develop and grow the sector by giving them training programmes.

These include on-the-job training locally and internationally, helping to create more permanent jobs within the local film industry. The incentive programme will help local crews, suppliers who serve projects, etc., benefit through job creation.

The commission will cover the incurred expenses out of production projects. This includes costs of producers, directors, lead actors and actresses, screenwriters, production site crews, rental equipment and designated production sites. The commission will study incentives given out globally before sanctioning the funds.

The Red Red Sea Film Festival screened world premieres of selected films made by Saudi's talents along with 138 films from 60 countries worldwide. RSIFF Chairman Mohammed Al-Turki described the event as a landmark moment.

Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar had visited the fest, a launchpad for debutant Saudi and Arab talents. The fest, which started on December 6 and going to end on December 15, supported the development of Saudi's flourishing film industry.