This was yet another soft weekend at the international box office with no major fresh titles and as summer fully closes out in Europe and beyond.
16.08.2022 - 14:15 / variety.com
Naman Ramachandran Indian media and entertainment company Eros Media World is entering the Saudi Arabian market via a partnership with Riyadh-headquartered Arabia Pictures Group (APG).APG, a content production outfit, focuses mainly on the MENA region. Eros and APG will explore strategic and business opportunities in the film production, technology, and Web3 spaces, exclusively catering to the Indian entertainment industry.
The two companies are already in the advanced stages of testing movie archive digitization and virtual location scouting technologies.The partnership aims to tap into Vision 2030, the Saudi Arabian government’s strategic framework to move away from Saudi Arabia’s dependence on oil to diversify its economy and develop public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation, media and tourism, which is driven by the country’s General Entertainment Authority. Bollywood films have been playing well in Saudi ever since Akshay Kumar’s “Gold” became the first Bollywood title released in Saudi Arabia in 2018, shortly after its religion-related ban on cinemas was lifted in December of 2017.As a part of Vision 2030, the Saudi Arabian government plans to transform its film industry into a major economic contributor by investing approximately $6.9 billion in the sector.
Saudi Arabia has been encouraging its households to increase spending on cultural and entertainment activities, which has increased from 2.9% to 6% of GDP.Abdulelah Alahmary, chair of Arabia Pictures Group, said: “The MENA region is keen for creative mediums such as arts and films to play a more prominent role in shaping the economy. This presents a great opportunity for us to use our combined strength and contribute to the
.This was yet another soft weekend at the international box office with no major fresh titles and as summer fully closes out in Europe and beyond.
Burgeoning Saudi Arabian content company Arabia Pictures Group is joining forces with Greece-based audiovisual group Tanweer on a strategic partnership that will see them cooperate on production and distribution across all formats in the Middle East and North Africa.
Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent The Venice Film Festival’s market is kicking off with an attendance level close to its 2019 pre-pandemic days and strong interest in feature films and VR works being pitched at its gap-financing platform “We already have a total of more than 2,400 industry professionals registered to attend, which is close to pre-pandemic levels since in 2019 the number was 2,700 [at the end of the market],” says Pascal Diot, head of the Venice Production Bridge, as the informal mart is known. Of these, 1,700 are accredited with the VPB’s Golden Trade pass, while the remaining 1,000 are registered as part of film delegations.
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Martin Short was in peak form Thursday as he roasted just about everyone to within an inch of their life on “The Tonight Show.” That included host Jimmy Fallon, who Short “revealed” as a member of the Proud Boys, as a well as a good friend of the Saudi Crown Prince.Appearing on the show in support of his hit series on Hulu, “Only Murders in the Building,” Short began his interview by saying how good it was to see Fallon again. Apparently, the last time the two comedians saw each other was at Donald Trump’s Saudi-funded golf tournament earlier this Summer.“Who knew that you and the Crown Prince were such buddies?” Short marveled.
We are now just days away from witnessing Anthony Joshua return to the ring when he'll face former opponent Oleksandr Usyk as the British heavyweight will hope to reclaim his titles and avenge his defeat to the dangerous Ukrainian in September. The fight will be held in Saudi Arabia as AJ will hope to regain his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles after losing them to former cruiserweight Usyk last year.
Indian media and entertainment giant Eros Media World is moving into the rapidly growing Saudi Arabia market, entering a strategic partnership with Riyadh-based content production company Arabia Pictures Group.
Two Saudi sisters, who had reportedly applied for asylum in Australia on the grounds that one was a lesbian woman and the other an atheist, were found dead in a Southwest Sydney flat in June 2022. The sisters had had their applications for permanent protection visas, based on sexuality and religious beliefs, denied earlier this year. Trigger Warning: This story discusses deaths of two women, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.The sisters, Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were found dead in their Canterbury unit in Sydney’s southwest on June 7.
EXCLUSIVE: Universal Pictures International is forming a new partnership with Emirates-based Majid Al Futtaim Distribution which will see the latter release Universal movies in Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE) and Egypt. In Lebanon and Cyprus, Uni will retain its longstanding distribution relationship with Four Star Films.
Naman Ramachandran MBC Studios, the in-house premium content production arm of MBC Group, has commenced production on fantasy-adventure “Rise of the Witches”, the biggest series to be ever produced with a homegrown Saudi cast, and holds the largest ever budget for special effects for a Saudi production. Supported by NEOM, the series is being filmed on three purpose-built studio sets, including Saudi Arabia’s biggest purpose-built backlots to date.Based on the best-selling Saudi mythology books by Osamah Almuslim, the series, set in ancient Arabia, tells the story of an epic war between two rival witch covens, led by Afsaar and Da’ja’a.Growing up in a world dominated by male magicians who want to prevent women from having any access to magical powers, both witches secretly learn the arts and go on to form their own groups in order to protect themselves and gain power.
MBC Studios, the high-end production arm of Saudi media and entertainment giant MBC Group, has announced shooting is underway on the fantasy-adventure Rise Of The Witches, its biggest show to date featuring a local cast and crew.