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”).
Behind the camera are director of photography Son Doan (“Sofia”), production designer Ahmed Baaqil (“Naga”) and the Spanish prosthetic team INSIDEFX (“La Casa De Papel”). The film is being produced by Mohammed Alhamoud and Chawki Knis, alongside executive producers Wael Abumansour, Ali Kalthami and Alaa Faden (who also serves as CEO of Telfaz11).
“AlGaid” marks the first feature to go into production from Telfaz11’s new nine-picture deal with Neom, in Saudi’s northwestern corner and a major part of the country’s cinematic push. Signed in mid-2023, the three-year partnership spans both film and TV, and will also see Telfaz11 set up an office in Neom.
Telfaz11’s most recent release, “Mandoob,” which premiered at the Red Sea Film Festival in December, landed a record-breaking opening on its first week of release, amassing 114,000 admissions and a $1.58 million gross box office intake, more than twice that of “Wonka. In its second week “Mandoob” outpaced “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” earning more than three-times the Warner Bros./DC title. In early 2023, Telfaz11’s first feature “Sattar” became the most successful Saudi film of all time.
