Saudi Arabia’s Neom Media production hub and the kingdom’s Hakawati Entertainment have forged a strategic partnership to produce up to nine feature films and establish a new on-site services unit “supported by experienced Hollywood-level talent and significant financial investments,” they said in a statement.
Neom, which is the site of Saudi’s futuristic city in the making, is clearly keen to attract more international productions such as $150 million tentpole “Desert Warrior,” featuring an all-star international cast led by “Captain America” star Anthony Mackie, that three years ago shot in the sprawling area located in Tabuk on the Red Sea coast. Besides desert, Neom features heritage sites, mountains, coral reefs and has a generally cooler temperature than most of the region.
Hakawati Entertainment is a production and literary management company launched in 2020 by a team of Saudi entrepreneurs and industry experts. The company’s chairman is Redha Alhaider who is a former president of the General Commission of Audiovisual Media (GCAM) – which is the Saudi’s media industry’s regulatory body. He is flanked by CEO Osama AlKhurayji, a prominent director and creative producer, and COO Sarah Bin Obaid, an entertainment industry executive who is a UCLA grad.
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Details of the nine productions in the pipeline under the Neom/Hakawati partnership are being kept under wraps, besides saying that the plan is for the first two features to go into production at Neom during the first half of 2025. The productions will be able to tap into Saudi’s 40%+ cash rebate production incentive scheme and make use of Neom’s state-of-the-art infrastructure and sound stages.
Hakawati has produced several local Saudi films and TV series including “Ureem,” a show about a Saudi ride-hailing service; “Khurais,” in which five friends who launch an online radio station; and “Cut,” featuring four young Saudi men who travel to Hollywood to pursue their dream of becoming film directors.
Besides “Desert Warrior” other big-budget shoots Neom has attracted so far include Rajkumar Hirani’s Bollywood blockbuster “Dunki,” starring Shah Rukh Khan, and Saudi-owned MBC Studios’ 10-part fantasy series “Rise of the Witches,” the biggest TV series ever to be made in the region.
Hakawati Entertainment’s new production services unit at Neom’s growing media hub is being set up to create “a best-in-class production services division designed to meet the needs of international, regional and local productions,” the statement said. “The division, supported by experienced Hollywood-level talent and significant financial investments, will combine expertise from various talents and suppliers, leveraging Hakawati’s network across the kingdom,” it added.
“By connecting local talent with opportunities at Neom Media, the partnership aims to support the sector’s evolution into a creative industries hub, while streamlining project execution and elevating the region’s filmmaking standards,” the statement went on to note.
The new production services unit fills a gap of sorts at Neom and should help sort and streamline any issues with Saudi red tape, making Saudi’s most ambitious media hub more user friendly for productions seeking to shoot there.
The partnership will also focus on fostering Saudi creative talent and crew through programs and workshops providing intensive training.
A so-called “Hakawati community” will be established at Neom in early 2025, in collaboration with their Media Industry Learning Department, to support talent development. “Additionally, a working group will identify and implement at least three new training programs by the end of 2025, ensuring ongoing opportunities for Saudi creatives,” according to the statement.
“This partnership with Hakawati marks an important milestone in our shared commitment to advancing Saudi Arabia’s media industry,” said Michael Lynch, sector head of entertainment, culture and media at Neom. Lynch recently replaced Wayne Borg, the exec who had been running the media hub at Neom and stepped down in September in the wake of a Wall Street Journal that leveled accusations of racism and misogyny against him.
“This collaboration reinforces our position as a center for innovation and growth, reflecting the industry’s confidence in our vision. Together, we are poised to unlock significant opportunities, drive the kingdom’s creative ambitions forward, and establish a world-class media ecosystem,” Lynch added.
Commented Hakawati’s CEO Osama Al Khurayji: “While film and television production remain at the heart of our business, this partnership goes beyond content creation.”
“Together with Neom, we are committed to building a sustainable, world-class filmmaking ecosystem that will not only support our industry’s expansion but also contribute to Saudi Arabia’s ambitious vision of becoming a global leader in entertainment and media.”