The Saudi Film Industry
This in-depth list includes filmmakers, producers, screenwriters, actors, actresses that have already been leaving marks in the upcoming Saudi Film Industry.
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- Actor
- Producer
At the age of 16, Abdullah Ali was discovered by Oscar-winning Producer, Andrés Vicente Gómez. At the time Andrés was casting for Saudi Arabia's first-ever international commercial feature film, Born A King.
Andrés Vicente Gómez and the award-winning director, Agustí Villaronga handpicked Abdulah to play the role of the late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. Abdullah at the time had no prior experience in acting but tried his best to authentically represent the late King.
After the release of the film, Abdullah was awarded for his performance at the Sharjah International Film Festival 2019. The award was presented by HH Shiekh Saud Al Qassimi & the festival director, HH Sheikha Jawaher Al Qassimi. Born A King went on to maintain the #1 Box Office for several weeks across the Gulf Region, nicknaming it "the most successful film ever produced in the Gulf". Born A King marks the first-ever film to portray an Arabian Royal.
Abdullah Ali as Saudi Arabia's first actor in an international commercial feature film believes that he has a huge role to continue playing in the film industry not only as an actor but as a producer as well.
Abdullah Ali continues his career as an actor but prioritizes his higher education at Canada's #1 University, the University of Toronto. He majors in Management International Business while minoring in International Relations. In his spare time, he serves as the Head of Production at AscenXion Pictures focusing on producing purposeful films for the region and global audience at large.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Haifaa Al Mansour is the first female filmmaker in Saudi Arabia and is regarded as one of the most significant cinematic figures in the Kingdom. She finished her bachelor's degree in Literature at the American University in Cairo and completed a Master's degree in Directing and Film Studies from the University of Sydney. The success of her three short films, as well as the international acclaim of her award-winning 2005 documentary Women Without Shadows, influenced a whole new wave of Saudi filmmakers and made the issue of opening cinemas in the Kingdom a front-page discussion. Within the Kingdom her work is both praised and vilified for encouraging discussion on topics generally considered too taboo, like tolerance, the dangers of orthodoxy, and the need for Saudis to take a critical look at their traditional and restrictive culture.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Saudi actress, director, and writer Fatima Al-Banawi belongs to a generation of burgeoning Saudi talents whose passion for art and cinema conflicted with their attempts to communicate with international industry markets and their conservative community.
In 2018, the entire world experienced a watershed moment when Saudi Arabia decided to lift its 35-year ban on cinemas, granting movie theater licenses across the kingdom.
Nowadays, Al-Banawi's name can be spotted in successful serial dramas on Netflix and Shahid in addition to several Saudi features that have been selected at international festivals and film events.
In 2016, Fatima starred in the light-hearted romantic comedy BARAKAH MEETS BARAKAH by director Mahmoud Sabbagh, which marked the first Saudi feature to compete at the Berlin International Film Festival and was Saudi Arabia's official submission to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film.
She also landed leading roles in the Saudi Arabian series Bashar in 2017, then the film Roll'em by Abdulelah Al-Qurashi - which was the first Saudi film to be released in Saudi theaters in March 2019 - as well as Shahid's OMM AL-QALAYED series. Then, in 2020, Al-Banawi surprised both local and Arab audiences in what was considered a case study for filmmakers during the coronavirus when she co-wrote, co-directed, and starred in the drama series Al-Shak - a Shahid original that she shot fully from home during the pandemic.
In the same year, Fatima also took part in the Egyptian horror series PARANORMAL, which achieved huge success among audiences inside and outside the Arab world when it premiered on Netflix. In the following year, she starred in Mariam Ahmady's Egyptian thriller series 60 MINUTES. As for 2022, Fatima worked on CHAMPIONS by the award-winning Spanish filmmaker Manuel Calvo, who co-wrote it with Oscar-nominee Javier Fesser. The film - which is an adaptation of the successful Spanish film Campeones - was released in Saudi and Emirati theaters in March.
She also worked on the thriller film ROUTE 10 and finished filming SAWA and BASMA, the latter of which she is also directing. Speaking of her directing work, Fatima participated in the 43rd Cairo International Film Festival when her first short film Until We See Light opened the Horizons of Arab Cinema Competition and was supported by the Red Sea International Film Festival. The short was part of the omnibus feature Becoming, which brought together five short films by five Saudi female directors. Shortly after, she was chosen to be on the jury for the 11th Malmo Arab Film Festival's Feature Film Competition and the 43rd Cairo International Film Festival's Horizons of Arab Cinema Competition.
Additionally, Al-Banawi is the official brand ambassador for the French luxury manufacturer Cartier International SNC in the Middle East and was part of the fashion giant's advertising campaign for its latest high jewelry collection Sixéme Sens. She also represented the brand during her participation in the 78th Venice International Film Festival.
Fatima was also selected as a member of Saudi Arabia's first professional association for theater and performing arts in 2021. The nomination came for her contributions to the realms of theater and art in general, as she directed several social and dramatic theatrical shows, including The Straight Circle, which was implemented in a street theater format.
Al-Banawi's most recent work includes ALHAMOUR H. A. which was released in cinemas earlier this year. She is also currently working on Faris Godus' latest film AHLAM EL-ASR and her first Egyptian film, EL AMEL SEFR, which stars Akram Hosny and is being directed by Karim El-Adl.
Moreover, in 2023, Fatima made an appearance in the Panthère de Cartier event that was held in Dubai and was named by Vanity Fair one of the six most influential women in the Middle East during a gala dinner hosted by the Red Sea International Film Festival at the 76th Cannes Film Festival.
She was also featured in Estee Lauder's Together We Shine Campaign for Ramadan 2023 and hosted both TV5 Monde's Alula Under the Stars concert in Saudi Arabia and the official reception of the candidacy file for Riyadh Expo 2030 in Paris. In terms of her theater work, Fatima also directed several performances and theater plays that toured internationally. She started off her first tour in Buenos Aires and eventually made her way to the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, traveling far and wide to present layered human stories.
Though a challenging endeavor in private society, she believes in the power of storytelling to channel vulnerable and intimate conversations, prompting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in France to call her the 'Sophie Calle of Saudi Arabia' after the great reception of her performance Amours Saoudiennes.
This passion for psycho-social development and the arts is not new; it started in 2010 when Al-Banawi co-founded the Theater of the Oppressed chapter in Jeddah and staged one of its plays at Harvard later on.
As for her other accomplishments, Fatima received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Effat University in Jeddah and an MA in Social Studies from Harvard University with a focus on representing women and the Arab identity in cinema and literature.
Afterward, she returned to Saudi Arabia and authored THE OTHER STORY - a book based on 5,000 on-the-go personal stories by anonymous people from Jeddah. The book was released between the 2022-2023 cycle of the Riyadh International Book Fair, Jeddah Book Fair, Al Sharqa Book Fair, and Cairo Book Fair.- Producer
- Writer
- Executive
Andrés Vicente Gómez was born on 16 September 1943 in Madrid, Madrid, Spain. He is a producer and writer, known for Oh, Carmela! (1990), The Day of the Beast (1995) and Petra Delicado (1999).- Producer
- Executive
Film producer, Entrepreneur. Philanthropist. CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation.
Born in Saudi Arabia on 3rd July 1986, Mohammed has successfully bridged the entertainment gap between "East and West" through his current and exciting endeavors in both Hollywood and Saudi Arabia.
His lifelong passion for film, coupled with academic achievements in media studies during his education in London, drove Mohammed's determination to break the US movie industry as a producer.
Mohammed is also extremely dedicated to supporting a number of international charities as well as those started and managed by his father Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Turki, in his home country of Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed supports UNICEF, the Steve Irwin Sea Shepard and amfAR.
Aside from a notable reputation in producing, Mohammed has become an influential figure in the fashion industry, collaborating with renown luxury names as friend of the brand.
Most recently Mohammed has been appointed as CEO for The Red Sea Film Foundation and is a key figure in the changes being implemented and shaping the Saudi film industry as a whole.- Actor
- Writer
- Art Department
Abdulelah Alqurashi is known for Roll'em (2019), Father's Revenge (2013) and Madinat AlMalahi (2020).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Hisham Fageeh, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Actor, Producer, Writer
Fageeh is the co-producer and star of Saudi Arabia's submission to the Oscars for 2016's Best Foreign Film, "Barakah Meets Barakah" (now available on Netflix worldwide). His work has been written about by The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, BBC, Variety, among others.
Most-known for his 2013 viral video "No Woman, No Drive", Hisham started performing stand-up while working on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
During his Master's at Columbia University, he studied improvisational comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (UCBT). Also while procrastinating; he started a web series (Hisham's Weeklies) which propelled him into an Arabic stand-up scene in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia- where he now resides.
Previously held position of Head of Content at Telfaz11, a multi-channel network with 12 million subscribers and more than one billion views.
Follow him on social media, HishamFageeh.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Todd Albert Nims is a Creative Producer & Writer/Director heavily involved in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's cinema and entertainment development. Mr. Nims co-produced Born a King, a major feature shot in London and Saudi Arabia that broke box office records for the Gulf, featuring Ed Skrein, Hermione Corfield and Laurence Fox and budgeted at $20 million USD.
He held the Film Producer position at the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's state-of-the-art hub for inspiring creativity and global culture, Ithra, for six years where he established the Kingdom's first cinema and assisted in launching the first Saudi Film Days (saudifilmdays.com) program to provide funding and development to Saudi filmmakers while screening their films in Hollywood. He produced the feature film JOUD which screened at Cannes Film Festival and has been accepted into the Red Sea International Film Festival.
Mr. Nims's previous accolades include, capturing a Silver Dolphin at the Cannes Media & TV Awards and two Golds at the New York Festivals' World's Best Awards for his short film series Children of the World. Additional film credits include: producing the Saudi Arabian portion of Just Like Us (2010), an official selection at the Tribeca International Film Festival; and Push Tunisia (2012) an award winning short on skateboard artivism shot 11 months after the Tunisian revolution. He first rose to prominence with his highly praised debut feature documentary Home: The Aramco Brats' Story (2007), distributed on MBC network.
In theater, Mr. Nims directed and co-wrote the Gulf's first major immersive theater play, Bait Al Dahaleezi, a supernatural murder-mystery taking place within the old Jamjoom house, a UNESCO heritage site within Jeddah's Al Balad district containing over 100 rooms, in which audiences are transported back to 1919 and deemed suspects in the murder of Saleh Al Dahaleezi. The immersive theater ran during the inaugural Jeddah season to rave reviews.
Mr. Nims is guest lecturer at KAUST University, where he delivers a yearly course to its PHD candidates entitled "Cinematic Science" helping scientist to produce films communicating their research in partnership with the Cinematic Science Company. He was a founder of C3 Films and participated in many of its shows such as Khambalah, La Yekthar, and Temsa7ly.
Mr. Nims owns an entertainment company based in Riyadh with several scripts and projects in development and a creative consultancy business based in the USA. Mr. Nims sits as chairman of the Arts, Culture & Entertainment Committee for the American Chamber of Commerce in KSA.- Visual Effects
- Producer
- Animation Department
Born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and raised between the United States and Saudi Arabia, Jumanah Shaheen grew up moving between countries, shifting between cultures acclimating to new societal norms. In 2003 Jumanah's family relocated indefinitely in Jeddah Saudi Arabia. attended a Manarat International school where she was able to condense her high school years into one. At grade 10 and at the age of 15 Jumanah graduated high school in 2009. During her years at Manarat, her love for Literature and Computer Science grew. Post her graduation she interned at Destination Jeddah as an assistant, working directly with the Editorial Director Michael Bou-Nacklie. The exposure to the inner workings of the magazine company really intrigued her, but what excited her more was the ability to share stories with a large market that she related to. Her curiosity led her to compare what type of media she consumed and why some type truly resonated with her to the point that it influenced her. After her internship Shaheen attended College of Business and Administration in Jeddah for a year where she studied the fundamental classes for Accounting, Psychology, Economics, and Sociology. Attending these classes Jumanah would constantly think about the links connecting the different industries together and how they all work cohesively. She would discuss her thoughts among her friends, they would converse for hours on how media truly shaped how people view others. That summer Jumanah attended a two-week course in Lebanon with Faisal Al-Qassim at Al-Jazeera, this course covered TV production and live broadcasting. She enjoyed learning about the inner workings of the news channel, she had the chance to speak with Mr. Al-Qassim and pick his brains on the influence of media. He emphasized the importance of art in a society, as artists are able to convey visually what we aren't able to in words. That night Jumanah applied to Academy of Art University to study Animation and Visual Effects production with an emphasis 3D modeling. It combined her love for computers, storytelling, animation, and film. Jumanah moved to San Francisco summer of 2010 and graduated with a BFA from the Academy of Art Spring of 2015. Both Film and Animated films were a huge part of her life; they have helped her view perspectives differently and live in a new way. Film and animation convey a way of thinking, a way of life. To know a society, you look at their art to gain a deeper understanding and Jumanah wanted to be able to gain the skill to be able to communicate effectively with a multitude of people. The oldest form of entertainment there is, is theatre. It has helped the world evolve and Shaheen has always wanted to be part of that evolution. She moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles pursue her love for Film and Animation, studying at the Academy of Art University, she has been presented with a range of opportunities which include Oscar-nominated film, Theeb, Independent Spirit Award, Fruitvale Station, Sundance Award, Advantageous, and MTV VMA nominated best visuals Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do breaking record of the most watched video on YouTube. Working alongside recognized Hollywood figures like Ryan Coogler, Joseph Khan, and Kenya Barris. All this experience has extended her knowledge in the industry. Jumanah's exposure to a multitude of diverse cultures and environments resulted in giving her a unique insight. This has broadened her ability to understand and communicate with all her fellow team members. Due to the diversity of cultures she grew up in, has now as an adult, allowed her to flourish in different work environments while supporting and leading a team filled with their own experiences, strengths, and weaknesses as we set out to achieve our goal as a team.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Growing up Muhammad Ali learned to act as a way of life, from ditching every class except Drama to impersonating Al Pacino, the Award-Winning Director, Bensalem Bouabdallah caught on to Muhammad Ali's potential early on before he was cast in "Born A King". Learning from the sword-fighting coaches from Lord of the Rings trained Muhammad Ali to embody the character of young King Saud as he fought in the deluded deserts of Arabia. As a human who explored the realms of hedonism, Muhammad Ali embarked on the Television Series, "illusions TO infinite" after rotating around the Center of Planet Earth, the Holy Kabbah in Mecca.
The Home-Made Documentary: "Christmas-Eid" is Muhammad Ali's most recent release of work that was filmed during the C-19 Pandemic while Christopher Nolan was also shooting on set. Working with Amazon Prime on "Gen V" and Disney on "Out of my Mind" taught Muhammad Ali how to encompass the 99 names of Allah which create all characteristics, traits, and attributes in the human being.
As the Head of Content of AscenXion Pictures, Muhammad Ali takes his family's 101-year-old media empire, The Rahnuma Daily, and spins the wheel through subliminal storytelling as he loves sharing his philosophy on life's mysteries through decoding films on his YouTube channel: "TheMovieTeacher".- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Mahmoud Sabbagh is known for Barakah Meets Barakah (2016), Amra and the Second Marriage (2018) and Last Party in R. Desert! (2024).- Actor
- Producer
Rawkan Binbella channels incomparable energy into all the arts in his life, whether it's pushing boundaries in his music, creating new concepts in fashion or finding unique ways to bring characters to life. Over the years, he has turned his focus to acting, singing, writing, designing and modeling, dedicating his life to artistic expression, authenticity and originality.
It's this trailblazing style that has seen him lifted from the streets of Boston, LA and Tokyo, and launched into modeling for international campaigns with the likes of Apple and New Balance. His successful opening for Amazon Tokyo Fashion Week gained him features in Vogue and HYPEBEAST, establishing him as 'one to watch' in the fashion world.
As a proud Saudi, his most career-defining role to date was his portrayal of King Abdulaziz in the award-winning film 'Born a King'. This performance certified him as Saudi Arabia's first movie star - a pivotal moment for the Saudi cinematic industry. Since then, he has walked the red carpet at Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival, placing him in Vogue and GQ's 'best dressed' lists among Hollywood legends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
As Binbella continues to blaze his path, he does so consciously with natural empathy and experience. His clothing brand Meoji is the perfect example of his ability to see the bigger picture, finding a cause behind each item and intertwining that with music and film. Above all, his upbringing as a Saudi in America means he can relate on a human level to his followers worldwide, understanding that irrespective of culture, our basic needs are the same. This is what, he says, fundamentally "connects us".- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Agustí Villaronga was born on 4 March 1953 in Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain. He was a director and writer, known for Moon Child (1989), Black Bread (2010) and The Belly of the Sea (2021). He died on 22 January 2023 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.- Writer
- Additional Crew
Henry is a journalist turned screenwriter with a special interest in true stories and historical drama, with a side order of comedy. The son of a Hungarian mother and English father, Henry graduated with a degree in Modern History from Oxford University, before becoming a journalist.
His latest project is The Cowboy War (2024) for Stephen David Entertainment & Netflix, a six-episode limited series exploring the legend of Wild West lawman Wyatt Earp and the untold true story behind the most famous shoot-out in American history, The Gunfight At The O.K. Corral. Henry worked for eight months in the writers' room with BAFTA-winning director/showrunner Patrick Reams, co-writing and researching all six episodes.
He also worked on the writing team of Liberty Or Death: Boston Tea Party (2023) a four-episode limited series for Stephen David Entertainment now streaming on Fox Nation. Hosted by Rob Lowe, the series examines the iconic act of defiance which lit the fuse of the American revolution.
Previously, Henry wrote Born A King (2019), a $21 million historical drama and coming-of-age story which broke box office records across the Gulf and Middle East, earning rave reviews. Set in Arabia and the UK in 1919, and based on true events, it's directed by Goya winner Agustí Villaronga and stars Ed Skrein, Hermione Corfield, Kenneth Cranham, Sam Adewunmi and James Fleet. Produced by Oscar-winning Andres Vicente Gomez, Born A King won Best Film at the Inward Eye Film Festival, Lake District (patron Brian Cox).
With Crispian Mills, Henry co-wrote Slaughterhouse Rulez (2018), a comedy-horror set in a British boarding school starring Asa Butterfield, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Michael Sheen, Margot Robbie, Finn Cole & Kit Connor. It was released by Sony in 2018.
Current projects include an adaptation of Stephen Benatar's classic novel Wish her Safe At Home for Hopscotch Films, to be directed by Shelly Love, and the Christmas romantic comedy Mistletoe Manor for Colliderscope.
For several years Henry was film editor of a national newspaper and sold several screenplays during this time, including romantic comedy Secret Mum to Rocket Pictures/ Lionsgate UK.
He lectures on screenwriting at the London Film School.- Writer
- Producer
- Nadia was born in Birmingham 1974 to a half Saudi/half Egyptian father and Slovenian mother. She attended an Arabic school. When in high school she started taking drama classes, which was where she discovered her love for acting.
She was able to reconnect with her passion for acting when she and her uncle decided to re-create the play "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" with a group of non-professional actors. Due to her drama background, Nadia was able to train the actors on how to give a theatrical performance. She also re-wrote the play and localized it. The play was performed underground, which allowed the female actors to join the males on stage, to which Nadia had a cameo appearance.
Her first opportunity to act in front of the camera came from a popular drama series called Tekki in 2014. This opened the opportunity for her to work with UTurn, which was an online channel that created comedic content for Saudi youth. She received numerous roles in various drama and comedic series in addition to films. - Sound Department
- Producer
- Director
A local of Riyadh and New York, Raed Alsemari is completing his MFA in Filmmaking at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
His first on-set experience was as a casting associate on Jon Stewart's Rosewater in Amman, Jordan. He later spent a year producing Saudi short-form comedy with Telfaz11.
In 2016, he obtained his BA in History and Literature from Harvard University with a focus on Postcolonial Studies.- Waad Mohammed was born and raised in Saudi Arabia the daughter of Saudi parents. She is still in high school. When she was a small kid, she was discovered by a talent show that was held in a mall. She was offered an acting job in the award winning movie Wadjda as the protagonist at the age of 9. She has won several international awards for her debut appearance. Now she is a social celebrity and she is doing a lot of modeling jobs and commercials back in her country.
- Writer
- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
Yaser Hammad is a Saudi writer and director from Jeddah. He moved to the United States to pursue his dream of becoming a filmmaker by studying at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles and earning a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts. Where he has written, directed, and produced many short films that his multicultural upbringing has inspired.- Producer
- Actor
- Cinematographer
Fahad Alsuwayan is known for The Perfect Candidate (2019), Wasati (2016) and Memories from the North (2022).- AbdulAziz Al Mutairi is known for The Perfect Candidate (2019).
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Majid Al Ansari is a director and producer whose debut feature film Zinzana (Rattle The Cage) had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX, and its European premier at BFI London Film Festival. Variety called Zinzana "A World Class Neo Noir Thriller" and awarded Majid "Arab Filmmaker of the Year" at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival. Zinzana was subsequently picked up by IM Global for world-wide representation and sold to Netflix as the first Arab film acquisition after branching out to the Middle East.
Majid then served as Executive Producer on three major Arab films, including Yasir Al Yasiri's Shabab Sheyab, Mohammad Saeed Harib's Rashid and Rajab and Shahed Ameen's Scales - which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival Critics Week in 2019 and won the Club Verona award for most innovative film.
In 2020, Majid directed three episodes of the Netflix series Paranormal. The series, based on Ahmed Khaled Tawfik's renowned novels, was the first Egyptian original series for the global streaming platform and was a top trending series following its November release.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Ahd Hassan Kamel is an award winning actress and filmmaker from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She is best-known for her role as Fatima in the 2018 BBC2 /Netflix series, Collateral. and her starring role in the 2014 BAFTA-nominated film, Wadjda.
Ahd grew up in Saudi Arabia and moved to New York City in 1998. She received a BFA in Animation & Communication from Parsons School of Design in 2014 and a Directing degree from the New York Film Academy in 2015. Ahd then went on to study Acting under the personal tutelage of William Esper at the William Esper Studio.
Ahd has written, directed and acted in her two award-winning short films, The Shoemaker 'Al-Qondorji' (2009) and Sanctity 'Hurma' (2012). She lives with her partner in London.