Saudiwood is betting big on Arab audiences WorldAhead
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskFor years, the Middle East punched beneath its weight in film and television. That will change in 2023. The number of Arabic-language television series made for streaming will double compared with 2019, according to Constantinos Papavassilopoulos of Omdia, a data company. The Saudi government wants at least 100 films to be made in the country by 2030, and is willing to fund them.
The kingdom is trying to establish itself as the Middle East’s media hub. Authoritarianism has hobbled the industry in Egypt, once the regional centre for film-making. In the past five years, the Saudi government has tried to show it is moving in the other direction, lifting a ban on cinemas, taking a controlling stake inBudgets of Arab-made flicks will grow. “Desert Warrior” is reportedly the most expensive film ever made in Saudi Arabia.
Netflix is investing in Arab-made content, too, as it looks to new markets to revive its growth. In 2022 it released “Perfect Strangers”, its first original film in Arabic, and “Finding Ola”, a show about an Egyptian mother navigating life after divorce. A second six-episode season is expected in 2023.
For decades, Arabic dramas revolved around the Ramadan serial, where families watch one episode of a show each night of the holy month. With a rise in streaming, more will be packaged into ten episodes or fewer.Obstacles remain. Local Saudi crews lack experience making films, so the industry relies on foreign know-how. But luring people from Hollywood may be tricky.
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