Telfaz11 & New Distribution Label Metis Films Partner On UK & Ireland Release Of Saudi Hit ‘Mandoob’
Rising Riyadh-based independent studio Telfaz11 and newly launched UK distribution label Metis Films are partnering to release Saudi hit Mandoob in the UK and Ireland.
The contemporary drama follows the mishaps of Fahad Algadaani, a Riyadh-based night courier (mandoob) who gets caught in the crosshairs of the city’s underworld as he tries to raise money for his father’s medical bills.
The movie has enjoyed a successful run at home, drawing 630,000 spectators since its release last December. It success follows in the wake of Telfaz11’s hit freestyle wrestling comedy Sattar.
Mandoob is the first film of Telfaz11 co-founder Ali Kalthami, who previously achieved fame at home for his viral YouTube videos which racked up billions of views ahead of the lifting of Saudi’s 35-year cinema ban in 2017.
“When we created the story of Mandoob (Night Courier), we focused on appealing to local audiences. However, after its major...
The contemporary drama follows the mishaps of Fahad Algadaani, a Riyadh-based night courier (mandoob) who gets caught in the crosshairs of the city’s underworld as he tries to raise money for his father’s medical bills.
The movie has enjoyed a successful run at home, drawing 630,000 spectators since its release last December. It success follows in the wake of Telfaz11’s hit freestyle wrestling comedy Sattar.
Mandoob is the first film of Telfaz11 co-founder Ali Kalthami, who previously achieved fame at home for his viral YouTube videos which racked up billions of views ahead of the lifting of Saudi’s 35-year cinema ban in 2017.
“When we created the story of Mandoob (Night Courier), we focused on appealing to local audiences. However, after its major...
- 5/8/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Saudi director Ali Kalthami’s indie thriller Night Courier (Mandoob) has drawn 605,000 spectators at home for a $7.5M box office gross following its release last December, in a first for a homegrown indie thriller in the territory.
The movie is the latest production from Riyadh-based Telfaz11, which broke Saudi box office records last year with the more mainstream freestyle wrestling comedy Sattar. That film sold close to 1M tickets for a $11 million gross at home.
Night Courier is the first feature from Telfaz11 co-founder Kalthami, who first achieved fame for his viral YouTube videos which racked up billions of views ahead of the lifting of Saudi’s 35-year cinema ban in 2017.
“Mandoob has not only shattered records but has also introduced a new genre to the Saudi box office landscape. The overwhelming support from our audience demonstrates a growing appetite for diverse narratives and storytelling style,” said Kalthami.
“This...
The movie is the latest production from Riyadh-based Telfaz11, which broke Saudi box office records last year with the more mainstream freestyle wrestling comedy Sattar. That film sold close to 1M tickets for a $11 million gross at home.
Night Courier is the first feature from Telfaz11 co-founder Kalthami, who first achieved fame for his viral YouTube videos which racked up billions of views ahead of the lifting of Saudi’s 35-year cinema ban in 2017.
“Mandoob has not only shattered records but has also introduced a new genre to the Saudi box office landscape. The overwhelming support from our audience demonstrates a growing appetite for diverse narratives and storytelling style,” said Kalthami.
“This...
- 2/28/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Production has now started on “AlGaid,” the latest feature from fast-rising Saudi Arabian production house Telfaz11, which smashed local box office records with their first two local releases, “Sattar” and “Mandoob.”
Directed by Hussam Alhulwah and shooting in the sprawling production hub of Neom, “AlGaid” unfolds against the backdrop of the early 20th-century Arabia desert and is described as blending the revenge genre with Bedouin soap opera tropes. The film was penned by Saudi novelist and writer Ahmed Alhokail.
Among the newly-announced ensemble cast for the feature is renowned actor Yagoub Alfarhan, recently seen in the Red Sea Film Festival-winning film “Norah” but best known for the mini-series “Rashash.” Joining Alfarhan is Saad Alshatti and Khalid Abdulaziz (“Head to Head”), plus Husam AlHarthi (“The Matchmaker”) Asem Alawad (“Raven Song”), Ayman Mutahar (“Rashash”) and Fahad Bin Salem (“Mandoob”).
AlGaid
Behind the camera are director of photography Son Doan (“Sofia”), production designer...
Directed by Hussam Alhulwah and shooting in the sprawling production hub of Neom, “AlGaid” unfolds against the backdrop of the early 20th-century Arabia desert and is described as blending the revenge genre with Bedouin soap opera tropes. The film was penned by Saudi novelist and writer Ahmed Alhokail.
Among the newly-announced ensemble cast for the feature is renowned actor Yagoub Alfarhan, recently seen in the Red Sea Film Festival-winning film “Norah” but best known for the mini-series “Rashash.” Joining Alfarhan is Saad Alshatti and Khalid Abdulaziz (“Head to Head”), plus Husam AlHarthi (“The Matchmaker”) Asem Alawad (“Raven Song”), Ayman Mutahar (“Rashash”) and Fahad Bin Salem (“Mandoob”).
AlGaid
Behind the camera are director of photography Son Doan (“Sofia”), production designer...
- 1/16/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Saudi hit thriller Night Courier (Mandoob) has continued its record-breaking box office run at home in its second week on release, outpacing Aquaman and Dunki with just under three times the admissions of either picture.
Per the figures of the movie’s Saudi distributor Front Row Arabia, the joint distribution label of Front Row Filmed Entertainment and local exhibitor muvi Cinemas, Night Courier sold 71,000 tickets in its second week on release for a gross of $1.15 million.
This brings its total gross to $3.4 million on the back of 251,000 admissions over the course of 12 days.
The picture comfortably beat DC and Warner Bros.’ tentpole Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which clocked 27,700 admissions for a $442,000 gross in its first week on release in Saudi Arabia, as well Shah Rukh Khan’s Bollywood blockbuster Dunki, with drew 26,000 spectators for a $357,000 gross.
Warner Bros.’ Wonka slipped to fourth place in the Saudi box office...
Per the figures of the movie’s Saudi distributor Front Row Arabia, the joint distribution label of Front Row Filmed Entertainment and local exhibitor muvi Cinemas, Night Courier sold 71,000 tickets in its second week on release for a gross of $1.15 million.
This brings its total gross to $3.4 million on the back of 251,000 admissions over the course of 12 days.
The picture comfortably beat DC and Warner Bros.’ tentpole Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which clocked 27,700 admissions for a $442,000 gross in its first week on release in Saudi Arabia, as well Shah Rukh Khan’s Bollywood blockbuster Dunki, with drew 26,000 spectators for a $357,000 gross.
Warner Bros.’ Wonka slipped to fourth place in the Saudi box office...
- 12/27/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Fast-rising Saudi studio Telfaz11 has reunited with distributor Front Row Arabia following their record-breaking release of Sattar, which earlier this year became the most successful Saudi film of all time.
Front Row Arabia — a partnership between regional distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Saudi exhibition chain Movie Cinemas — will now release Telfaz’s latest feature Mandoob, a darkly comic Saudi thriller directed by Ali Kalthami, which he co-wrote with Mohammed Algarawi. The first trailer has also been released for the film, which is scheduled to hit theaters across Saudi Arabia on Dec. 14.
Mandoob, which premiered in Toronto, follows a struggling Saudi man whose life takes an unexpected turn when he’s fired from his call center job and is forced to make ends meet working as a delivery man in the depths of the local underworld.
The film is produced by Telfaz11 Studio and supported by the Red Sea Film Foundation’s production support fund.
Front Row Arabia — a partnership between regional distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Saudi exhibition chain Movie Cinemas — will now release Telfaz’s latest feature Mandoob, a darkly comic Saudi thriller directed by Ali Kalthami, which he co-wrote with Mohammed Algarawi. The first trailer has also been released for the film, which is scheduled to hit theaters across Saudi Arabia on Dec. 14.
Mandoob, which premiered in Toronto, follows a struggling Saudi man whose life takes an unexpected turn when he’s fired from his call center job and is forced to make ends meet working as a delivery man in the depths of the local underworld.
The film is produced by Telfaz11 Studio and supported by the Red Sea Film Foundation’s production support fund.
- 11/2/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
MPM Premium has acquired world sales rights to Ali Kalthami’s dark comedic crime thriller “Mandoob,” which will have its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in the Discovery section, one of three Saudi films selected by the event.
Set in Riyadh, the film centers on Fahad Algadaani, a mentally fragile man racing against time to pay for his ailing father’s medical treatment. His life takes an unexpected turn when he is fired from his call center job, and he is forced to make ends meet by working as a delivery driver (“mandoob” means courier in Arabic).
A chance encounter uncovers a dark underbelly of the city — one thriving on illicit activities — and Fahad is confronted with a dangerous proposition that promises to solve all his monetary woes. Yet, this tantalizing opportunity comes at a great cost — he must risk everything he holds dear, including his principles and...
Set in Riyadh, the film centers on Fahad Algadaani, a mentally fragile man racing against time to pay for his ailing father’s medical treatment. His life takes an unexpected turn when he is fired from his call center job, and he is forced to make ends meet by working as a delivery driver (“mandoob” means courier in Arabic).
A chance encounter uncovers a dark underbelly of the city — one thriving on illicit activities — and Fahad is confronted with a dangerous proposition that promises to solve all his monetary woes. Yet, this tantalizing opportunity comes at a great cost — he must risk everything he holds dear, including his principles and...
- 9/8/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Neom, the Saudi Arabian region that is aiming to become a major film and TV production hub, and prolific Middle East-focused studio Telfaz11, have revealed a partnership.
The deal will see the creation of up to nine television and film productions over the next three years and includes two feature films and one series that are currently in development. Telfaz11 will also open offices this year in Neom’s media hub, complementing its existing offices in Riyadh and Dubai. Neom plans to leverage Telfaz11’s new offices to diversify its industry learning activities and multi-disciplinary talent development programs in order to create a talent pool.
“Sattar,” on which Telfaz11 is one of the producers, has become the highest grossing Saudi film of all time. Neom has provided the backdrop for 30 productions in the last 18 months, including Rupert Wyatt’s “Desert Warrior,” starring Anthony Mackie and Sir Ben Kingsley; Rajkumar Hirani’s “Dunki,...
The deal will see the creation of up to nine television and film productions over the next three years and includes two feature films and one series that are currently in development. Telfaz11 will also open offices this year in Neom’s media hub, complementing its existing offices in Riyadh and Dubai. Neom plans to leverage Telfaz11’s new offices to diversify its industry learning activities and multi-disciplinary talent development programs in order to create a talent pool.
“Sattar,” on which Telfaz11 is one of the producers, has become the highest grossing Saudi film of all time. Neom has provided the backdrop for 30 productions in the last 18 months, including Rupert Wyatt’s “Desert Warrior,” starring Anthony Mackie and Sir Ben Kingsley; Rajkumar Hirani’s “Dunki,...
- 6/1/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix on Thursday dropped its Saudi Arabian psychological thriller “The Matchmaker,” which centers on a married It worker who becomes infatuated with a beautiful intern at his office and ventures into ground that breaks several types of local boundaries.
In the film, which is directed by Abdulmohsen Aldhabaan — whose 2019 directorial debut “Last Visit” depicted Saudi’s patriarchal culture — the protagonist (Hussam Alharthy) winds up following the intern (Nour Alkhadra) to an eerie desert resort where a matchmaker (Reem Alhabib) promises men she will pair them with their perfect bride.
The basic premise behind “The Matchmaker,” which is produced by disruptive Saudi shingle Telfaz 11, was to make a genre movie that played on the practice of “misyar,” a no-strings attached marriage often done secretly in Saudi society. Under the rules of “misyar” the wife waives conventional marriage rights such as cohabitation and financial support. The practice has been legal in the conservative Muslim kingdom for decades.
In the film, which is directed by Abdulmohsen Aldhabaan — whose 2019 directorial debut “Last Visit” depicted Saudi’s patriarchal culture — the protagonist (Hussam Alharthy) winds up following the intern (Nour Alkhadra) to an eerie desert resort where a matchmaker (Reem Alhabib) promises men she will pair them with their perfect bride.
The basic premise behind “The Matchmaker,” which is produced by disruptive Saudi shingle Telfaz 11, was to make a genre movie that played on the practice of “misyar,” a no-strings attached marriage often done secretly in Saudi society. Under the rules of “misyar” the wife waives conventional marriage rights such as cohabitation and financial support. The practice has been legal in the conservative Muslim kingdom for decades.
- 4/28/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Growing entertainment giant Telfaz11 is striving to become a major player locally and regionally.
Burgeoning Saudi entertainment group Telfaz11 has acquired independent production house Last Scene Films in a deal scaling up its move into feature film production.
Founded by Alaa Yousef Fadan, Ali Al Kalthami and Ibrahim Al Khairallah, Riyadh-based Telfaz11 was at the forefront of Saudi Arabia’s YouTube youth content revolution in the early 2010s and is now a major player in its content boom following the lifting of the country’s 35-year cinema ban.
Specialising in producing independent arthouse features, documentaries and short films, Riyadh-based Last...
Burgeoning Saudi entertainment group Telfaz11 has acquired independent production house Last Scene Films in a deal scaling up its move into feature film production.
Founded by Alaa Yousef Fadan, Ali Al Kalthami and Ibrahim Al Khairallah, Riyadh-based Telfaz11 was at the forefront of Saudi Arabia’s YouTube youth content revolution in the early 2010s and is now a major player in its content boom following the lifting of the country’s 35-year cinema ban.
Specialising in producing independent arthouse features, documentaries and short films, Riyadh-based Last...
- 12/7/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Telfaz11, the Saudi Arabian production and finance company, has struck a deal to acquire Riyadh-based producer Last Scene Films.
Founded in 2017 by Mohammed Alhamoud, Last Scene Films has produced the short films Silah and Ertidad, which both travelled to international festivals, while its debut feature Last Visit (2019), directed by Abdulmohsen Aldhabaan, became the first Arab film selected at the East of the West Competition in the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and won the Jury Award at the 2019 Marrakech International Film Festival.
Wael Abumansour joined the company as an executive producer in 2020 and has been developing a wide range of genre-focused films including Four Acts of Disruption, which won development funding from the Red Sea International Film Festival.
Alhamoud and Abumansour will now join the fold at Telfaz11, reporting to CEO Alaa Fadan. They will continue to oversee the day-to-day of Last Scene Films’ development and production slate, which will now scale up,...
Founded in 2017 by Mohammed Alhamoud, Last Scene Films has produced the short films Silah and Ertidad, which both travelled to international festivals, while its debut feature Last Visit (2019), directed by Abdulmohsen Aldhabaan, became the first Arab film selected at the East of the West Competition in the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and won the Jury Award at the 2019 Marrakech International Film Festival.
Wael Abumansour joined the company as an executive producer in 2020 and has been developing a wide range of genre-focused films including Four Acts of Disruption, which won development funding from the Red Sea International Film Festival.
Alhamoud and Abumansour will now join the fold at Telfaz11, reporting to CEO Alaa Fadan. They will continue to oversee the day-to-day of Last Scene Films’ development and production slate, which will now scale up,...
- 12/6/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The inaugural edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival is being held December 6-15.
A panel of regional filmmakers, programmers and distributors discussed Saudi Arabia’s emerging opportunities at a ScreenDaily Talk hosted in partnership with the Red Sea International Film Festival.
Watch the session above.
Moderated by Screen International’s senior Europe and Middle East correspondent Melanie Goodfellow, the panel included Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) managing director Shivani Pandya Malhotra; Egyptian producer and head of Cairo-based production house Film Clinic Mohamed Hefzy; pioneering Saudi producer, filmmaker and screenwriter Mohammed Alhamoud; Saudi director and screenwriter Sara Mesfer; and Mohamed Al Hashem,...
A panel of regional filmmakers, programmers and distributors discussed Saudi Arabia’s emerging opportunities at a ScreenDaily Talk hosted in partnership with the Red Sea International Film Festival.
Watch the session above.
Moderated by Screen International’s senior Europe and Middle East correspondent Melanie Goodfellow, the panel included Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) managing director Shivani Pandya Malhotra; Egyptian producer and head of Cairo-based production house Film Clinic Mohamed Hefzy; pioneering Saudi producer, filmmaker and screenwriter Mohammed Alhamoud; Saudi director and screenwriter Sara Mesfer; and Mohamed Al Hashem,...
- 11/19/2021
- by Nikki Baughan
- ScreenDaily
The session takes place on Wednesday November 17 at 14:00 GMT.
The latest in our ScreenDaily Talks live Q&a series will take place on Wednesday November 17 at 14:00 GMT (17:00 Ksa) and will look at Saudi Arabia’s growing film business on the eve of the inaugural edition of the country’s Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff).
Register here
The speakers are Rsiff managing director Shivani Pandya Malhotra, renowned Egyptian producer and head of Cairo-based production house Film Clinic Mohamed Hefzy, pioneering Saudi producer, filmmaker and screenwriter Mohammed Alhamoud, Saudi director and screenwriter Sara Mesfer, and Mohamed Al Hashem,...
The latest in our ScreenDaily Talks live Q&a series will take place on Wednesday November 17 at 14:00 GMT (17:00 Ksa) and will look at Saudi Arabia’s growing film business on the eve of the inaugural edition of the country’s Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff).
Register here
The speakers are Rsiff managing director Shivani Pandya Malhotra, renowned Egyptian producer and head of Cairo-based production house Film Clinic Mohamed Hefzy, pioneering Saudi producer, filmmaker and screenwriter Mohammed Alhamoud, Saudi director and screenwriter Sara Mesfer, and Mohamed Al Hashem,...
- 11/10/2021
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
When young Saudi Arabian director Abdulmohsen Aldhabaan set out to make his debut feature “Last Visit” filmmaking and movie theaters were still banned in his country.
That changed suddenly in late 2017 when Saudi’s 35-year-old religion-related ban was lifted as part of social and economic reforms. So the director and his producer immediately turned in their screenplay to authorities and applied for a shooting permit, which they got despite the fact that their father-and-son drama depicting generational conflict pushes boundaries in several ways.
Thematically “Last Visit” exposes “masculine culture and patriarchy as I know it,” says Aldhabaan, adding that the 16-year-old son in his film who is named Walid (played by Abdullah Al-Fahad) simply can’t relate to Saudi Arabia’s conservative traditions.
“With kids his age in Saudi today, it’s not even a matter of revolting against the past,” he says. “They actually just don’t understand it.
That changed suddenly in late 2017 when Saudi’s 35-year-old religion-related ban was lifted as part of social and economic reforms. So the director and his producer immediately turned in their screenplay to authorities and applied for a shooting permit, which they got despite the fact that their father-and-son drama depicting generational conflict pushes boundaries in several ways.
Thematically “Last Visit” exposes “masculine culture and patriarchy as I know it,” says Aldhabaan, adding that the 16-year-old son in his film who is named Walid (played by Abdullah Al-Fahad) simply can’t relate to Saudi Arabia’s conservative traditions.
“With kids his age in Saudi today, it’s not even a matter of revolting against the past,” he says. “They actually just don’t understand it.
- 12/5/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
New initiative is organised in collaboration with the TorinoFilmLab.
The Red Sea International Film Festival, which is due to take place for the first time in the Saudi port city of Jeddah from March 12-21, 2020, has unveiled the 12 projects that will participate in its inaugural Red Sea Lodge feature film development lab.
The selection comprises six Saudi projects as well as six productions from Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, and Lebanon, by both emerging and established filmmakers.
They include new films by Lebanese director Hadi Ghandour, Palestinian producer and filmmaker Amira Diab and Jordanian director Amjad Al-Rasheed
Ghandour will attend with...
The Red Sea International Film Festival, which is due to take place for the first time in the Saudi port city of Jeddah from March 12-21, 2020, has unveiled the 12 projects that will participate in its inaugural Red Sea Lodge feature film development lab.
The selection comprises six Saudi projects as well as six productions from Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, and Lebanon, by both emerging and established filmmakers.
They include new films by Lebanese director Hadi Ghandour, Palestinian producer and filmmaker Amira Diab and Jordanian director Amjad Al-Rasheed
Ghandour will attend with...
- 10/1/2019
- by 1100380¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
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