 "Cannes Film Festival: Saudi Arabia Film Council vows to encourage its film industry with help of India, France and US")
Saudi Arabia, which, as a cinema hub, has for obvious reasons much catching up to do with the rest of the world, has pulled out the stops and is functioning full-steam from its first-ever Pavilion in the Cannes Film Festival.
Today in #Cannes Groundbreaking Women In Film In Saudi Arabia and The Mena Region panel in SFC pavilion.#SFCCannes #SaudiFilmCouncil #GeneralCultureAuthority pic.twitter.com/8pUGFsj1sR
— المجلس السعودي للأفلام (@SFC_SAUDI) May 14, 2018
The kingdom’s culture authorities announced a raft of measures at Cannes aimed at developing local talent and attracting the big players of international cinema to shooting locations in the kingdom in order to boost its film industry. India, which has the world’s most productive film industry, figures prominently on the radar of the Saudi Film Council (SFC), which in its inaugural appearance in Cannes, announced a 35 percent cash rebate for money spent in the kingdom on film production. The cash rebate on hiring local crew is even more generous at 50 percent.
Filmmakers at Cannes debate whether Saudi Arabia needs a film festival - Arab News https://t.co/TBKxIbF0VI pic.twitter.com/gpZ0PJKPug
— IndieArtists Network (@IndieClubNYC) May 13, 2018
“We are very excited to mark our first appearance at the Cannes Film Festival and Marche du Film with the launch of initiatives that support our overall goals for talent development and film and content production in the Kingdom,” said Ahmad Al-Maziad, CEO of the General Culture Authority (GCA), which oversees SFC.
“They highlight two of our key pillars, nurturing and empowering our rich talent pool of aspiring and established filmmakers and introducing the global industry to the world of opportunities the Kingdom has to offer, as we seek to build an industry that draws on our heritage and supports the unique needs of our country, while at the same time plays a vital role within the global film community,” he added.
Great attending the #SaudiPavilion at @Festival_Cannes listening to the exciting opportunities in cinema in #SaudiArabia pic.twitter.com/DTOXOM6AVz
— Hutchinson Pictures Co (@HutchinsonPics) May 12, 2018
The pace that the Saudi Arabian contingent in Cannes has set is, of course, necessitated by the fact that cinema was proscribed in the kingdom for 30 years until the ban was lifted last December.
BREAKING: General Culture Authority of Saudi Arabia makes announcement at #Cannes about funding and film rebates. Watch @arabnews for more details. #SFCCannes #SaudiFilmCouncil #Cannes2018 #CannesFilmFestival pic.twitter.com/hO1MPdGozD
— Arab News (@arabnews) May 11, 2018
The SFC is now seeking to develop the Arab world’s largest film industry by 2030. “The idea isn’t to ape Hollywood or Bollywood cinema but develop a strong art-house cinema with the help of homegrown talent,” a source said.
Saudi Arabia announces big rebates for film production at #Cannes | https://t.co/PrGQ86xUtL pic.twitter.com/D42CDcqkme
— The National (@TheNationalNews) May 13, 2018
According to the source, Saudi Arabia, which currently has only two movie screening facilities in Riyadh, is looking at up to 600 screens in the Kingdom by 2022. These screens will be owned and run by Vox Cinemas, which has about 250 screens in the United Arab Emirates. “Saudis travel to UAE to watch films. Very soon they will be able to watch any film they want in Saudi Arabia itself,” the source added.
IMAX, Saudi Arabia To Develop Local IMAX Format Films – Cannes https://t.co/lg5YyWurcL pic.twitter.com/3tdBhpqXC2
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) May 12, 2018
Cinema education is a key thrust area of the SFC long-term strategy. It has already tied up with institutes of the University of Southern California and the French film school La Femis. About 100 Saudi aspirants will travel to these schools, hone the craft of movie-making and make short films. “We are also looking at partnering with at least one film institute in India,” the source said. (Also read — Cannes Film Festival 2018: With cinema from Lakshadweep to Assam, India's regional diversity impresses critics)
Cultural board celebrates #SaudiArabia’s talents at #Cannes festival. #Cannes2018 @Festival_Cannes https://t.co/lFDhdC7H1r pic.twitter.com/MGbJWfXtEk
— Arab News (@arabnews) May 10, 2018
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