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,” starring Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan; Saudi feature “Within Sand,” directed by Moe Alatawi; the first regional reality TV show “Million Dollar Island”; and big-budget TV show “Rise of The Witches,”
Wayne Borg, managing director of media industries, entertainment and culture at Neom, said: “Our mission is to create a new world-class media hub at Neom, one that supports the region’s industry to compete and succeed globally. This partnership with Telfaz11 complements and accelerates. This partnership, coupled with our evolving infrastructure, crew depth, industry learning programs, and highly competitive incentive scheme shows we are well on our way to achieving these goals.”
Unveiled in September 2022 in tandem with the opening of the Neom Media Village and Bajdah Desert Studios, Neom’s rebate incentive provides 40%-plus of spend in cash back for productions that recruit local crew and talent above and below the line, with producers able to secure a higher percentage based on their industry development contributions.
Alaa Faden, CEO and co-founder of Telfaz11, added: “We couldn’t be more honored to be at the center of Neom’s next-generation media and entertainment ecosystem. Telfaz11 has consistently operated on the leading edge of innovation, from launching the first Netflix partnership in the region to leveraging our powerful social media presence. And this new partnership with Neom is yet another milestone in that effort.”
Pictured L-R: Wael Abumansour (executive producer), Ibraheem Alkhairallah (founder and executive creative director), Wayne Borg (managing director of media industries, entertainment and culture at Neom), Alaa Fadan (CEO), Dania Ismail (director of strategy and business development), Mohammed Alhamoud (head of development).
