Leading Saudi producer Ithra announces open call to fund film projects

Leading Saudi producer Ithra announces open call to fund film projects

CANNES, FRANCE – The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) invites international filmmakers to collaborate with their Saudi counterparts under a new open call supported by a funding initiative. One of the largest film producers in the Kingdom, Ithra announced the plan at this year’s 76th Cannes International Film Festival. Under the initiative, Ithra Film Productions aims to commission and fund up to five films annually.

“Ithra Film Production supports Saudi Arabia’s growing film industry by nurturing home-grown talent and fostering cinematic content creation,” said Majed Z. Samman, Head of Performing Arts & Cinema at Ithra. “We invite international filmmakers to collaborate with filmmakers in the Kingdom and join us on our journey to accelerate talent and sector development in Saudi.”

This is Ithra’s first open call for film proposals. Samman announced the fund in the Ithra-hosted discussion panel themed “Saudi Arabia: A film destination opportunity” at the Saudi Pavilion. The panel highlighted Saudi opportunities and collaborations within the film industry ecosystem. Samman was joined by Charlene Deleon-Jones, Film AlUla Executive Director, Fatima AlBabtain, Film Financing Manager at Saudi Arabia’s Cultural Development Fund, and Zeinab Abu Alsamh, General Manager of MBC Studios and CEO of MBC Academy.

Samman said the fund offers