The Middle East’s largest exhibitor, Vox Cinemas, used the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia to highlight a major push for Arabic cinema, unveiling its debut slate locally original movie.
The lineup includes films from established and new filmmakers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, and Lebanon, and is part of Vox’s previously announced production commitments More than five years of Arabic cinema.
Including HWJN, based on the best-selling Saudi fantasy romance and Vox’s latest collaboration, Image Nation Abu Dhabi and MBC Studios, the three have signed an agreement on 2019. The three entities also teamed up to produce The Lord of the Rings, a Saudi remake of the hit Korean comedy The Foul King, which will be released on Red Sea International Film Festival.
Also, Voy! bye! Voy! marks the directorial debut of Egyptian advertising director Omar Hilal. It comes from Mohamed Hefzy’s regional production giants Film Clinic and Image Nation Abu Dhabi.
, and tends to outperform foreign films. Unique local productions, especially in emerging markets like Saudi Arabia, present a real untapped opportunity,” said Ignace Lahoud, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas, which owns Vox. A film company, we are committed to growing a sustainable film industry and believe that building a vibrant content ecosystem is integral to achieving this goal. “
