Saudi Arabia can become a global movie powerhouse: Iain Smith

 

Iain Smith, a Scottish film producer best known for his productions of Mad Max: Fury Road, The Fountain, and The Fifth Element, has said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) can become a global player in the film industry.

Recently, Iain Smith trained filmmakers in AlUla, a city located in Medina province of northwestern Saudi Arabia. The 10-day program concluded last month. It was held under a partnership between Film AlUla, established by the Royal Commission for AlUla, and the UK’s Creative Media Skills Institute.

In an interview with Arab News, Iain Smith said, “I’m a big fan of the desert, love the simplicity of life there and I love the silence, it really is beautiful.” He spent his time in AlUla. He made the comments after training filmmakers in the city. He visited Saudi Arabia for the first time to teach filmmakers.

Talking about the 10-day program, the film producer said that the workshops focused on the film industry. He revealed that the first part of the program was theoretical. He lauded the efforts of the students in learning about production strategies.

Top producer further said it would be unfair to compare Saudi Arabia to other parts of the world. He further described the city of AlUla as a “Trojan Horse”. He noted that Saudi Arabia required time and money to “build in the space of five to 10 years what in Britain took us 50 to 60 years.”

Last year, Saudi Arabia participated in the 79th Venice Film Festival. Saudi Arabia’s Film Commission promoted its incentive program to attract international film productions to Saudi Arabia. The Film Commission launched an incentive program to offer financial refunds of up to 40 per cent for all film producers shooting their films in Saudi Arabia.

The commission wanted to provide support to Saudi talent by improving its presence on all the major film platforms.