Saudi Movies You Don’t Want to Miss
In less than a decade, Saudi cinema has soared from a couple of movies a year to a booming local scene with production studios, film festivals, and shiny new movie theaters going up across the Kingdom of Storytelling. The films themselves reflect different sides of Saudi society through comedy, drama, action, mystery, history, romance and more. So, grab some popcorn and read on to uncover new stories, stars, and some spectacular locations you could be streaming tonight.
What’s the origin story here?
Over the past century, Saudi Arabia’s population has grown more than twelve times over, from about the size of Lithuania to one comparable to Canada. There are a lot of stories to be told here, and the Kingdom is the perfect canvas for them!
It started small. For instance, 2006’s Keif Al Hal? was a Saudi-produced film set in the Kingdom, but was largely filmed in Dubai. This model of Saudi movies produced abroad reignited a conversation in the Kingdom about the potential for a homegrown film industry.
What was the game-changer?
Enter Wadjda (2012). The German-produced film was a watershed moment for Saudi cinema; it marked the first major film made by a Saudi woman director – Haifaa Al Mansour – but it was also filmed on the streets of Riyadh. The story of a 10-year-old heroine’s quest to save up for a bicycle and beat the boys at their own race charmed audiences around the world. It became Saudi Arabia’s first Best Foreign Language entry to the Oscars and earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Foreign Film.
Who’s watching?
Today, Saudi Arabia has the fastest-growing film industry in the region, with about fifty films produced in the past six years. No small feat for an industry competing with international blockbuster machines. In 2023, Saudi movies represented 13% of domestic cinema releases but made up 36% of ticket sales.
So, anything good on lately?
This year’s Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) featured 122 films from 85 countries, and the Saudi entries stood out for the style and substance they brought to the screen. The RSIFF brings movies, filmmakers and stars from Hollywood to Bollywood – and everything in between – to the Kingdom’s gorgeous Red Sea coast for a ten-day celebration of film, so the competition was massive!
I’m listening…
If you’re going to watch just one of the Saudi entries, check out Night Courier (aka Mandoob). This gritty comedy-thriller broke the Saudi box office record (almost doubling the previous one!).
Mohamad Aldokhei stars as Fahad, a well-meaning working-class man trying to hold down odd jobs in fast-paced Riyadh. In his quest to get ahead, support his elderly father (Mohammed Altawyan) and single-mom sister (Hajar Alshammari), Fahad gets involved with some shady characters. Throw in a love interest and some office politics, and you get why Fahad falls for the promise of riches.
How does it all shake out?
While the movie is poignant throughout, Aldokhei’s comedy background shines through, making you root for Fahad as he navigates office politics and night shifts. Fun fact: Aldokhei insisted on performing all his own stunts – and he did!
Director Ali Kalthami’s online comedy shorts have made him a household name in Saudi Arabia, but with Night Courier, there’s a been a paradigm shift. Future Saudi comedies will be measured against this one!
But I like my budgets big and my scenery epic, hit me!
Here’s another entry that made waves at RSIFF. Filmed amid the towering cliffs and rolling dunes that surround NEOM – the futuristic new city being built on the Kingdom’s Red Sea coast – Within Sand takes us back in time with visuals that will leave you in awe. Snam (Ra’ed Alshammari) is a young Bedouin tobacco merchant who falls out with his caravan leader and decides to set out into the desert, insisting he knows how to get home faster.
What goes down?
Snam’s overconfidence gives way to his survival instinct as he is faced with more than he bargained for out in the wild. Marshaling all his skills as a Bedouin, Snam tries to feed, water, and shelter himself as he tries to get home to his family – making a surprising friend along the way. Meanwhile, his mother (Fatima Al Sharif) and wife (Adwa Fahad) rally the village to go out into the desert and find him.
The bottom line?
Saudi director Moe Alatawi had previously filmed in Europe, but the experience of filming Within Sand in the vast Saudi desert was a challenge to him at first. The film is beautifully shot from start to finish. You’ll lose yourself in the authentic Bedouin costumes, language, and a diverse, talented cast that surrounds Snam’s journey from youthful naivety to fatherhood.
So what makes these movies Truly Saudi ?
The themes are different, from the hard-hitting realism of The Night Courier to the strong female leads in Wadjda and Within Sand, to the growing comedy scene. The stories span different timelines and show you the diverse places that make up the Kingdom. Saudi movies are probably unlike anything else you’ve likely seen. But they’re also deeply relevant, because the characters are Saudi, but the stories are about family, self-expression, personal growth and the way we relate to our identity and society.
Ali Al Kalthami, who directed Mandoob, put it best, “The connections we share with the rest of the world are more significant than our differences.”
So, check your local listings – many of these have been shown in cinemas near you – or pick up the remote and start streaming!
