Saudi by Mike: Red Sea Dreamin’

For as long as Mike Bounacklie can remember, he’s been fascinated by the power of film – to change minds, hearts, and lives – and after he got behind a camera for the first time, he couldn’t stop telling stories through his own lens. Today, Mike works as a film-maker in Saudi Arabia, which he has also made his home, along with his wife Umniah, their adorable son, and Nova – a gentle giant of a Bernese Mountain Dog whose positive energy never fails to put a smile on your face. 

We caught up with Mike to hear about his latest projects, family life in Saudi, and Nova’s latest exploits in Jeddah. 

Q: Great to see you, Mike! Tell us about you.  

I’m a filmmaker, producer, and VR director from Switzerland and I live in beautiful Jeddah, where I make documentaries, ad spots, films, and everything in between. My wife Umniah is my partner in everything, and she grew up here, so she’s been my compass as I settled in and learned about Saudi Arabia from an insider’s perspective. 

Q: Has life changed much with a kid in the picture now? 

Everyone says it, of course, but having a kid really does change your perspective on everything. Watching our Bernese, Nova, grow up was my first experience in taking care of someone who depends on you and loves you unconditionally. Times that by a hundred when it’s your kid, because when they look at you, you can see both yourself and your life partner reflected back at you. It’s an intense feeling, but it’s what gets me out of bed in the morning. 

Q: So, for the uninitiated, tell us a little about Jeddah. 

Jeddah is such a vibe, man. As a filmmaker, I go where the work is, so I’ve been all over Saudi Arabia – Riyadh is growing astonishingly fast, and there’s nothing like it in the region, the East Coast is laidback, cosmopolitan, cultured – but Jeddah is Jeddah. Aesthetically, it’s so rich and diverse in its culture, from the artsy, colorful Corniche set against the Red Sea, to the Old City, where no matter how much you think you’ve seen, there’s always a nineteenth-century townhouse, or an out-of-the-way coffeeshop you somehow missed last time.  

Q: Speaking of the Red Sea, did you get a chance to go to the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah? 

I did! It was such a blast seeing artists from all over the world come together in the Old City for night after night of film. Definite highlight was getting to sit down and listen to Brendan Fraser talk about his experiences becoming famous so young, and coming back that much stronger with The Whale, really inspiring. It was great seeing Bollywood rub shoulders with Hollywood and figures from Arabic cinema too – it’s simply unlike anything else out there right now. 

Q: Of course, you’re not just a spectator, so tell us about Fancy Hat. 

Fancy Hat Multimedia is our production house – the partners being Umniah, Nova the Bernese Mountain Dog, and my humble self – and what we do is in the ‘multi-.’ We’ve done some really cool long-form stuff like Asir: Sand in an Hourglass, a documentary that takes you right into the heart of southern Saudi Arabia for a look at traditional living interacting and mixing with the cutting edge of modern life and conveniences. It won Best Short Documentary at the Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards Film Festival and is still one of my proudest achievements. 

Q: We’ve also seen you operate a few drones in pursuit of the best picture, what was that about? 

We do plenty of ad spots, and it’s a full house for those. One of our recent ones was for some new apartments overseeing the Jeddah Waterfront, or Corniche, and we had our full-time staff alongside some of the interns we take on making sure everything runs smoothly, from the drones to the lights. There’s always me running around trying to make sure everything is in place, the cameras are set, the actors are happy, and the set design – beautifully overseen by Umniah – is just right. No one ever tells you how much standing you do as a director, – those Hollywood chairs with your name on the back? False advertising! 

Q: Any final thoughts you’d like to share with our readers? 

Come over and see for yourself, truly. There’s so much to get into, the cultural scene is growing like nowhere else, and the support from the people and all the arts funds is so gratifying. People here recognize a vision when they see it, and I’m so excited to be making a career and raising a family in Saudi. 

Watch Mike’s story and learn more about creating in Saudi Arabia. 

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