Saudi Arabia’s Movie AlUla – the movie fee for the swathe of northwest Saudi Arabia – is bolstering its function as a cornerstone of the dominion’s ongoing effort to construct a movie trade ecosystem due to its latest partnership with world studios big MBS Group and its ongoing rapport with the Crimson Sea Movie Basis. That was the principle takeaway of a panel held as a part of Selection’s International Conversations on the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
Phillip Jones, chief tourism officer of The Royal Fee for AlUla, underlined how “one of the real needs we have is training locals for jobs in the industry.” That is being accomplished in tandem with each MBS Group – which includes Manhattan Seaside Studios, dwelling to James Cameron’s “Avatar” sequels, and the state-of-the-art AlUla Studios – and the Crimson Sea labs and fund. Faisal Baltyuor, CEO of Crimson Sea Movie Basis, identified how “if you submit a film project to the Red Sea Fund, which is one of the largest in the Middle East, we give that project an option to be shoot in AlUla.”
Baltyuor cited two examples of Saudi movies shot in AlUla that went on to floor on the worldwide fest circuit: Tawfik Alzaidi’s “Norah,” which in 2024 grew to become Saudi’s first movie within the Cannes official choice, and Shahad Ameen’s “Hijra,” which went to Venice in 2025.
As for the studio services in AlUla, there are already two 25,000 sq. foot levels and a state-of-the artwork recording studio, mentioned MBS Group chief studio and actual property officer Jason Hariton. “But the ability to expand is something super important,” he added, “because from a backlot perspective, we have the ability to do pretty much whatever we need to do.”
“You are [just] seeing phase 1-A now, even though it can handle a high-budget [international] production or local production,” Hariton went on to notice.
Jones proudly identified that Stampede Ventures’ “Chasing Red,” an adaptation of Isabell Ronin’s bestselling YA romance that shot in AlUla in January, is the primary Hollywood film made fully in Saudi.
“We have lots of cactus left over because we served as a backdrop for Arizona. So if anyone needs a cactus, let us know!” he joked.
All panelists agreed that the information introduced in Cannes that Saudi Arabia has raised its rebate for movie and TV productions from 40% to a whopping 60% goes to assist preserve the momentum to drive its nascent trade going.
“Yes, we are quite young” mentioned Baltyuor, referring to the truth that Saudi entered the worldwide movie area in late 2017 after eradicating its 35-year religion-related ban on cinema. “But it’s about how we adapt to change. How agile we can be. How we can rapidly develop,” he added. “Having the 60% rebate, which I think makes it one of the [world’s] largest, as well as one of the more user-friendly, is going to attract more productions, both local and international.”
