International Insider: Saudi Film Fest; London Studios; BIFAs; ITVS Ambitions; Lina Wertmüller Tribute

The technical director of the Japanese FA has made a plea to the government to allow Kyogo Furuhashi to join up with the squad for next month's qualifiers.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentAcross a large swathe of West Asia, the year 2021 for the entertainment industry has marked a time of monumental change, as well as fierce resistance.Saudi Arabia in December held its first major international film festival, following the removal four years ago of a 35-year ban on cinema for religious reasons.

Levan Koguashvili’s Brighton 4th has scooped up the Best Film prize at Saudi Arabia’s inaugural Red Sea Film Festival. The title is Georgia’s entry in the Academy Awards international feature category this year.

After much speculation, the Saudi Film Commission has announced its film incentive package, offering a 40% cash rebate of total qualifying spend for local and international productions. The announcement comes just before the country’s first-ever film festival, the Red Sea International Film Festival, draws to a close tomorrow.

Naman Ramachandran Levan Koguashvili’s “Brighton 4th” has won best film at Saudi Arabia’s inaugural Red Sea Film Festival, while Hamzah K. Jamjoom’s “Rupture” won best Saudi film.“Brighton 4th” is Georgia’s entry in the Academy Awards’ international feature category.Haider Rashid won best director for “Europa” and Adam Ali won best actor for his role in the film.

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I’m more than halfway into my stay in Saudi Arabia for the Red Sea International Film Festival and what is becoming more apparent with each day that passes is that what this first-time event lacks in experience and organization, it makes up for in ambition.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentAs Saudi Arabia diversifies from an oil-based economy, the kingdom is pinning a significant portion of its hopes of becoming a major media industry hub on NEOM, a futuristic megacity in-the-making.It is where the $100 million seventh century actioner “Desert Warrior,” featuring an all-star international cast led by “Captain America” star Anthony Mackie, is currently shooting.Situated along the kingdom’s Red Sea coast in Tabuk, in the northwest of the

Since Saudi Arabia lifted its 35-year-old religion related ban on cinema in 2017, the country has been ramping up its efforts to attract local and international productions to come and shoot in the region. Film AlUla is playing a major part in the government’s Vision 3030 plan to modernize the country.

Red Sea Film Festival, Saudi Arabia’s first international film event, gets underway, it’s become clear that the artistic director of the fest’s milestone first edition won’t be in charge of programming the second one.Edouard Waintrop, a former Cannes Directors’ Fortnight chief, was conspicuously absent Monday at the opening night gala at the Vox Cinemas multiplex in Jeddah’s historic Al Balad district.Instead of being on the star-studded red carpet, Waintrop was at his home in Spain suffering

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentAs the spread of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant prompts uncertainty around how the winter film festival calendar will play out, two events in the Arab world — the Cairo Film Festival and Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea fest — have soldiered on, providing a measure of hope for the global festival circuit.Cairo, which kicked off Nov.

The glitterati was out in full force in Jeddah on Monday night as the inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival kicked off with the Middle Eastern premiere of Joe Wright’s musical romance Cyrano.

Alessandra Ambrosio and Candice Swanepoel glammed up the red carpet for the inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival on Monday night (December 6) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

according to The Wrap. The movie was initially targeted to open in Saudi Arabia on Dec.

Musical fans in the Gulf states won’t be getting to see the new “West Side Story”.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterSome audiences in the Middle East won’t get to experience the epic love story between Maria and Tony.Disney and 20th Century’s “West Side Story,” director Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the classic musical, has been banned in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait. In some cases, like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the film wasn’t granted a release certificate.

Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” will not screen in the Middle East nations of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, as well as other countries, TheWrap has confirmed. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait both did not grant the film a release certificate, while local censors in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates had requested cuts that Disney and 20th Century Studios opted not to make, an individual with knowledge said, and the film will not be released to those markets.

A film festival is about more than just the films and the festival center. It is about the location, the journey, the experience. Here on Deadline we’ll be bringing you updates on what it’s like to be on the ground at the inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival, Saudi Arabia’s first ever film festival. 

West Side Story will not be playing in a few Middle Eastern countries when it debuts this week.

Disney/20th Century Studios’ West Side Story is due to begin international box office rollout on Wednesday this week, but it will not be heading to movie theaters in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar or the UAE, Deadline has learned. While an official reason has not been made public, the situation is believed to be related to the character called Anybodys.