News

Update, 1.45am P.T: Just as soon as his exit from Mbc was announced, Sam Barnett’s new role has emerged. He will lead Central European Media Enterprises (Cme) as CEO from May 1.

Barnett will succeed Didier Stoessel, current CEO and Chief Investment Officer of its media investor parent Pff, with Mike Sneesby becoming Chief Exec at Mbc Group in the Middle East. This will Stoeseel to focus on Pff, which has stakes in the likes of ProSiebenSat.1 Media along with its Cme ownership.

“After conducting a thorough succession process, we are confident that Sam’s global expertise and leadership experience make him the right person to lead Cme in the future,” said Stoessel.

Pff acquired Cme four years ago, afterwich the broadcast group as pivoted from linear to digital media. Its streaming service, Voyo, which has a Czech-Slovak consumer base, has grown from 30,000 to 950,000 subs, and an over-the-top video streaming and live TV platform,...

Saudi powerhouse Mbc Studios has inked a partnership deal with best-selling Saudi author Osamah Almuslim under which his novel “Jahim Al-Abirin” (“Travellers’ Hell”) will be made into a high-end horror film for the theatrical market helmed by rising director Hana Al-Omair.

Hana Al Omair, who directed Netflix’s first Saudi original series “Whispers,” joined Mbc earlier this year as creative director at the studios.

Mbc, which is the Middle East’s largest broadcaster, has previously adapted works by Almuslim, most notably the female empowerment fantasy series “Rise of The Witches,” being touted as the biggest-budget Saudi Arabian TV series to date.

“I am absolutely delighted to collaborate with Osamah Almuslim, whose broad popularity across the Arab world presents both an exciting opportunity and a challenge,” said Al-Omair in a statement.

“His unique style of storytelling interweaves suspense, mystery, horror, mythical elements, and local traditions. Through this exciting new endeavour, I...

Mbc Studios has revealed intentions to adapt Osamah Almuslim’s best-selling novel “Travelers’ Hell” (Jahim Al-Abirin) into a feature film. This project marks a watershed moment in Saudi cinema and highlights the Kingdom’s thriving and developing entertainment industry.

Production is scheduled to commence in the first half of 2025. The film will be directed by Hana Al-Omair, a well-known Saudi filmmaker who recently became a creative director at Mbc Studios. Almuslim will create the screenplay, adapting his compelling tale about a highway where passengers inexplicably vanish into a cinematic experience.

The announcement was made during the fourth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah. This demonstrates the growing importance of Saudi narratives in the regional media landscape. The adaptation is part of a larger collaboration between Mbc Studios and Almuslim, which aims to expose the author’s vast literary universe to film and television viewers.

Almuslim, who has written approximately 30 works,...

Saudi Arabia’s Neom Media production hub and the kingdom’s Hakawati Entertainment have forged a strategic partnership to produce up to nine feature films and establish a new on-site services unit “supported by experienced Hollywood-level talent and significant financial investments,” they said in a statement.

Neom, which is the site of Saudi’s futuristic city in the making, is clearly keen to attract more international productions such as $150 million tentpole “Desert Warrior,” featuring an all-star international cast led by “Captain America” star Anthony Mackie, that three years ago shot in the sprawling area located in Tabuk on the Red Sea coast. Besides desert, Neom features heritage sites, mountains, coral reefs and has a generally cooler temperature than most of the region.

Hakawati Entertainment is a production and literary management company launched in 2020 by a team of Saudi entrepreneurs and industry experts. The company’s chairman is Redha Alhaider who...

Renowned arts executive Michael Lynch has been named acting sector head for media at Neom, Saudi Arabia’s megacity project, replacing Wayne Borg.

The appointment follows allegations that Borg, Neom’s managing director of media industries, had made racist and misogynistic comments and engaged in inappropriate workplace behaviour, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal on September 11.

Lynch previously held chief executive roles at Sydney Opera House, London’s Southbank Centre and Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District Authority before joining Neom in late 2023 as sector head of entertainment and culture – a position he will continue to hold.

Neom has been presented as a vision of the future, a $500bn megacity under construction in northwest Saudi Arabia that has spent five years positioning itself as production destination and industry hub for the Middle East and North Africa region.

However, the ambitious endeavour has been rocked by allegations that Neom’s managing director of media industries Wayne Borg has made racist and misogynistic comments, which were recorded, as well as engaging in inappropriate workplace behaviour.

According to The Wall Street Journal, after Borg was called into the office to discuss the deaths of three construction workers on the megacity,...

Samar Akrouk has been appointed managing director of Saudi production powerhouse Mbc Studios, replacing U.S. producer Christina Wayne, who recently quietly exited the top post at the production arm of top Middle East broadcaster Mbc Group.

Akrouk, who has been with Mbc for almost 30 years, is currently the group’s director of production. She will retain that role while expanding her purview from mainly non-scripted productions for the Mbc TV channels and its Shahid streamer to also comprise oversight of Mbc’s high-end drama and film productions in Saudi Arabia, which are part of an ongoing effort to help kickstart the kingdom’s nascent industry.

“She will be managing the entity’s mission to leverage the ongoing trend for non-English-language television content to reach more global markets,” a statement from Mbc reads.

High-end Saudi productions in various stages bankrolled by Mbc include Hollywood-style tentpole “Desert Warrior” — featuring an all-star...

The third edition of the Red Sea Film Festival, wrapping Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, felt like a direct response to a burning question from executives and investors present at the festival’s market arm last year: Could Saudi Arabia step out from drama and comedy and head into genre filmmaking? The answer offered by the festival, it turns out, was a resounding yes.

“Arabs are closer to fantasy than the Western world,” director Yasir Al-Yasiri told Variety of this year’s Red Sea Film Festival opening film, “Hwjn.” The film, a sprawling fantasy about the Arab Jinn culture set and shot in Jeddah, comes at the “right time,” according to the director. “We have the means to do so, and so many talented people have gathered great experience from working abroad with big companies and now they are working in our region.”

“Saudi changed so much that suddenly we had room to explore,...

While attending the third edition of the Red Sea Film Festival, Wayne Borg, managing director of media industries, entertainment and culture at Neom, sat down with U.S. producer Eric Hedayat and Variety‘s Italy and Middle East correspondent Nick Vivarelli to discuss Neom’s key role in Saudi Arabia’s entertainment industry boom.

Coupling state-of-the-art infrastructure with Saudi Arabia’s enticing 40% tax rebate, Neom has solidified itself as a major entertainment and media production hub not only locally to Saudi but internationally in the last two years.

“[Neom] is about critical mass of infrastructure, stages, support facilities and workshops,” said Borg about the fundamental principles of the company. “It’s about a competitive, super attractive production incentive scheme and ensuring the depth and breadth of workers to support the influx of productions we are experiencing now. And, finally, it’s about getting out of the way.”

With over 20 years of experience in the media sector,...

Mbc Studios is developing a series adaptation of popular Saudi writer Osamah Almuslim’s best-selling debut horror novel Khawf (Fear).

It is the second work by Almuslim to be adapted by the high-end production arm of Riyadh-based media giant Mbc Group, after his fantasy Rise Of The Witches about two rival covens in ancient Arabia.

The work revolves around a studious young man who is given a book about the existence of a second world by a mysterious sheikh, the reading of which sets in motion a series of terrifying events.

Zeinab Abu Alsamh, who is general manager of the Saudi arm of Mbc Studios, announced the project in an industry panel on different aspects of developing IP at the Red Film Festival.

“It’s a very exciting project and has a very, very, very big fan base. That’s what make it exciting and scary at the same time,...

Saudi-owned Mbc Group, the Middle East’s top broadcaster, has announced it is floating a 10% stake on the Riyadh stock exchange seeking to raise up to 831 million riyals ($222 million) in a move to boost growth and help fuel its output of high-end productions.

“Institutional and retail investors will be allowed the opportunity to acquire shares and participate in the long-term growth plans of the company and the Saudi media market,” Mbc Group said in a statement on Thursday.

Hsbc Saudi Arabia is the lead manager of the IPO that will run Nov. 30-Dec. 6 in tandem with Jp Morgan Saudi Arabia and Snb Capital, as financial advisors.

Mbc, which was launched in London in 1991, subsequently moved its headquarters to Dubai in 2002 at a time when for religion-related reasons Saudi Arabia had banned moviegoing, and entertainment in general was frowned upon by the country’s conservative leadership.

Then, in December 2017, Saudi lifted...

In a country where women’s freedoms have historically been marginalized (a nationwide ban on female drivers was only lifted five years ago), new Mbc Studios boss Christina Wayne is determined to seek out the strongest female creative voices Saudi Arabia has to offer.

In her first major interview since replacing Peter Smith in February, American producer Wayne, who shepherded Mad Men and Breaking Bad for AMC Networks, tells Deadline how the Riyadh-based media giant is encouraging work from “across all genders” but lasering in on new female talent.

“We have lots of amazing female writers and directors in the region who are bringing us fabulous stories,” she says. “There are book series here with fanbases that are young and female, and they are surprisingly interested in fantasy and sci-fi.”

Despite being criticized for a litany of human rights abuses and ‘sportswashing’ claims, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has spearheaded...

The feature will tell the story of a legendary Arabian warrior and celebrated poet.

Simon West, the UK director of Con Air and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, is set to film historic drama Antara in Saudi Arabia’s Neom.

Based on a true story, the feature centres on Antara ibn Shaddad, an imprisoned warrior who won his freedom to become a knight and one of the most celebrated poets in Arabian history.

The film is co-produced by Irish writer and producer Alexander Amartei. Celtic Films Entertainment CEO Stuart Sutherland is also a co-producer through his Jeddah-based production company Celtic Arabia.

Saudi filmmaker Abdulaziz Alshlahei (“The Tambour of Retribution,” “Zero Distance”) is set to direct timely drama “Hobal,” about a Saudi family living in isolation in the desert during the early 1990s. The film will be shot in Neom, the sprawling production hub in Saudi Arabia’s northwestern corner.

“Hobal” will be Alshlahei’s third feature, segueing from his groundbreaking social issues drama “The Tambour of Retribution,” about the forbidden love between an executioner’s son and a wedding drummer’s daughter in turn-of-the-century Riyadh. “Tambour” scored two prizes at the Cairo Film Festival, was released on Netflix, and was Saudi Arabia’s submission for the 2022 best international feature film Oscar.

In “Hobal,” the Saudi family is following strict instructions from their grandfather to remain confined in the desert during the early 1990s, when a series of events shakes the family’s foundation and finds them in a struggle between life and death.

Production company agrees partnership deal with media hub.

Saudi Arabia’s Neom and leading local production company Telfaz11 have announced a partnership that will see up to nine TV and film productions filming at the media hub over the next three years.

Two feature films and one series are currently in development under the new arrangement.

Telfaz11’s comedy drama Sattar, set in the world of freestyle wrestling, became the highest-grossing Saudi film of all time following its release in December 2022. The company struck an eight-picture deal with Netflix in 2020.

Telfaz11 also plans to establish a physical presence at Neom...

Neom, the burgeoning production hub in northwestern Saudi Arabia, and Telfaz11, a studio specializing in content from the Middle East that was behind this year’s Saudi Oscar submission Raven Song, have struck a partnership for the creation of up to nine TV and film projects over the next three years.

“The collaboration between Neom and Telfaz11 will accelerate the growth of Neom’s media industries ecosystem, ensuring a rich pipeline of productions, including two feature films and one series currently in development under the new arrangement,” the partners said Thursday.

Telfaz11 recently debuted its latest theatrical feature Sattar, which has become the highest-grossing Saudi film of all time.

In addition to productions, the studio plans to establish a physical presence at Neom’s media hub by opening an office there this year, complementing its existing offices in the Saudi capital Riyadh and Dubai. “Neom will also leverage Telfaz11’s...

Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning production hub Neom has locked a partnership with the film and digital content production and finance company Telfaz11.

The new pact will see the two entities create up to nine TV and film productions over the next three years. In a statement today, the pair said two feature films and one series are currently in development under the new arrangement. In addition to the new projects, TELFAZ11 will also open offices this year in Neom’s media hub, adding to its physical presence in Riyadh and Dubai.

Situated in northwest Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea, Neom has been dubbed as one of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 mega-projects and involves the construction of a hi-tech, smart city and global media hub. TELFAZ11 will join more than 30 productions to have shot in Neom over the last 18 months, including Desert Warrior, Dunki, and Rise of The Witches, the...

Neom, the Saudi Arabian region that is aiming to become a major film and TV production hub, and prolific Middle East-focused studio Telfaz11, have revealed a partnership.

The deal will see the creation of up to nine television and film productions over the next three years and includes two feature films and one series that are currently in development. Telfaz11 will also open offices this year in Neom’s media hub, complementing its existing offices in Riyadh and Dubai. Neom plans to leverage Telfaz11’s new offices to diversify its industry learning activities and multi-disciplinary talent development programs in order to create a talent pool.

“Sattar,” on which Telfaz11 is one of the producers, has become the highest grossing Saudi film of all time. Neom has provided the backdrop for 30 productions in the last 18 months, including Rupert Wyatt’s “Desert Warrior,” starring Anthony Mackie and Sir Ben Kingsley; Rajkumar Hirani’s “Dunki,...

Academy Award-winning Hotel Rwanda screenwriter and director Terry George is heading to Saudi Arabia for his upcoming film Riverman, to shoot in the country’s burgeoning film production hub of Neom.

Inspired by the war diaries, and true events of the war in Afghanistan over the course of 2001-2008, the film revolves around a highly decorated Royal Marine who is recruited by a private arms dealer to supply weapons to private armies around the world.

The production is lead produced by Future Artists Entertainment under Matt Williams with Camilla Storey (Bitter Harvest) of Tms Productions and Mark Foligno of Limelight Ctl.

“Riverman is an action-packed movie that explores ideas of heroism, corruption, and temptation within the dark and dangerous world of arms dealing and warfare. This is a powerful film and with George at the helm, we’re very excited to bring it to life,...

Oscar-winning Irish director Terry George is set for Afghanistan-set actioner “Riverman” which will be shot in Saudi Arabia’s Neom regional production hub.

Inspired by true events that unfolded between 2001-2008 during the war in Afghanistan, “Riverman” revolves around a highly decorated Royal Marine named Max who after a series of devastating events goes to the dark side. He is recruited by a private arms dealer to supply weapons to private armies around the world. “Despite being trained to cope with the deadliest situations on Earth, nothing can prepare Max for the high-stakes world of arms dealing,” says the provided synopsis.

Casting on “Riverman” is still underway, with principal photography set for January 2024 in Neom, the sprawling area situated along Saudi’s Red Sea coast in Tabuk, in the northwest of the kingdom. Neom now boasts world-class sound stages, a generous 40% plus rebate, and local talent and crews.

The “Riverman...

Irish filmmaker is known for directing ‘Hotel Rwanda’ and writing ‘In The Name Of The Father’.

Oscar-winning Irish filmmaker Terry George is to direct war action thriller Riverman and is preparing to shoot the feature in Saudi Arabia’s Neom and the UK.

Inspired by war diaries written during the war in Afghanistan, the story will follow a Royal Marine who is recruited by a private arms dealer and descends into a world more dangerous than the battlefield.

The script has been written by George, director of Hotel Rwanda and The Promise, who also wrote the screenplay for 1994’s In The Name Of The Father.

‘Mena 360’ will spotlight the production and film financing opportunities in the Arab world.

The Cannes Market has partnered with Saudi Arabia’s Neom Media Industries and Arab Cinema Centre to host a conference on the fast-growing opportunities in production, finance and talent in the Middle East and North Africa.

Titled ’Mena 360: Accessing the Largest Untapped Market’ in the World, it will run as part of the Cannes Next programme and comprise three panels exploring the best ways for the international industry to secure financing, partners, locations and talent from the region.

Mena executives and talent due to speak on the panels include Wayne Borg,...

Dubai-based CEO Sam Barnett leads the Middle East’s largest broadcaster Mbc as it turbocharges its Shahid streaming service through a scripted content drive, and gives Netflix a run for its money.

Shortly before the holy month of Ramadan, which is marathon TV time in the Arab world, Barnett spoke to Variety about the still crucial relevance of Ramadan season in luring eyeballs, Mbc’s need to offer “interesting new types of content” outside of the holy period, and why the company remains resolutely pan-Arab while riding the wave of Saudi’s production boom.

There is a perception that Mbc is becoming more “Saudi-centric” since it now plays an important role in Saudi’s drive to become a major content producer. Can you talk to me about how this shift is playing out in your overall production strategy?

Mbc has always played a major role in the media in the Kingdom,...

Exclusive: Saudi Arabia’s Neom Media Village has officially opened the doors to its second soundstage, bringing the total number of operational stages in the Neom region to four (two sit in Neom’s Bajdah Desert Studios).

The second stage within the Media Village sits at the same 2,400 square meters capacity as its first stage and is equipped with state-of-the art technology and back-of-house facilities including make-up rooms, green rooms and production offices.

Neom says that it’s opened the new facility within its Media Village to cope with the “increased and growing demand” for facilities in the Middle East and North Africa and it comes just a few months after the first stage was completed. The latter is quickly booked out for a long-running drama series, which begins production early March. Neom wouldn’t disclose the name of the series.

A further six stages, including a volumetric stage, are...

US producer previously helped develop ‘Mad Men’ and ‘Breaking Bad’.

Former Amazon Studios executive Christina Wayne has been appointed managing director of Mbc Studios, the production arm of top Middle East broadcaster Mbc Group.

The US producer replaces Peter Smith, a former president of NBCUniversal International, who is stepping down after four years but will remain with the group in an advisory role.

During his tenure, Smith spearheaded major growth in Mbc’s production activity with titles such as Rashash, Rise of the Witches, and Devil’s Promise. The latter is a series created by Tony Jordan, the UK creator of Life Of Mars,...

Former Amazon Studios originals boss for Canada and Australia, Christina Wayne, will be the new Managing Director of Saudi Arabia-based Mbc Studios.

She will succeed Peter Smith, who we last week revealed was stepping down after four years. Smith will remain as an advisor.

Former AMC Networks exec Wayne and Smith are well known to each other. In 2012, Smith joined Cineflix Studios as CEO when Wayne was President.

At Mbc Studios, the production arm of the Middle East and North Africa-focused network Mbc Group, Wayne will look to continue a push into premium non-English-language TV programs.

Mbc operates 17 free-to-air satellite channels and streaming service Shahid.

Sam Barnett, Group CEO of Mbc Group, stated: “We’re incredibly excited to be welcoming Christina Wayne to the role of Managing Director at Mbc Studios. Christina brings with her a wealth of international expertise in content development and production where she has worked across...

Exclusive: Peter Smith is leaving Mbc Studios after four years as Managing Director.

We’ve learned the international industry veteran is stepping down from the premium production arm of Middle Eastern and North African network Mbc, though he’ll continue to advise on production and distribution.

In a statement to Deadline, Mbc CEO Sam Barnett confirmed the exit and said a successor would be named “in due course, in coming days.”

Smith is a former NBCUniversal International President and was CEO of Cineflix Studios and Greece-based broadcaster Antenna Group.

He joined Mbc Studios in 2018 as it launched as the production arm of free-to-air network Mbc, which is the largest media company in the Mena region. He was tasked with increasing Mbc’s original film and TV output and and he has gone on to overseen the launch of shows such as Rashash, Rise of the Witches and The Devil’s Promise.

Saudi-owned Mbc Group has officially opened its new headquarters in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh in a move that will boost its stated mission to serve as a driver to kickstart the kingdom’s nascent film and TV industry.

The broadcaster which is the top satellite free-to-air player in the Middle East and North Africa, and also a major Mena region premium streamer, held a gala opening on Monday attended by a host of Saudi royal family members, ministers, and foreign ambassadors, according to a statement.

Other guests included Mbc’s executive directors in addition to local talents and hosts of Mbc’s TV channels and also from news service Al Arabiya in which Mbc owns a minority stake.

Mbc which was launched in London in 1991, subsequently moved to its headquarters to Dubai in 2002 at a time when for religion-related reasons Saudi Arabia had banned moviegoing and entertainment in...

Saudi Arabian region Neom has formally unveiled its 40+ cash rebate production incentive scheme for feature films, TV dramas, reality series and docs, and opened the doors to Neom Media Village and Bajdah Desert Studios.

In relation to the rebate, producers will be able to secure a higher percentage based on their industry development contributions.

“Clearly production incentives play a vital role in terms of attracting productions but are best leveraged when the entire package is in place: infrastructure, on-the-ground international production expertise, crew depth and ease of doing business,” commented Wayne Borg, Managing Director for Media Industries, Entertainment and Culture at Neom. “Neom is now in the position to offer this competitive package.”

Meanwhile, the new Neom Media Village and studios space comprise Saudi Arabia’s largest sound stage and film production support facilities. Combined, they have supported 25 productions over the course of the last 18 months, with the first three...

Some 25 productions have shot in the region in Saudi Arabia over the past 18 months.

Neom, a futuristic megacity being built in northwestern Saudi Arabia, has announced its anticipated incentive for productions in the region that consists of a cash rebate of at least 40.

The rebate will apply to feature films, TV drama, reality series and documentaries as well as commercials, with producers able to secure a higher percentage based on their “industry development contributions”.

These contributions include elements such as hiring of local production crew and investment in infrastructure, such as set building that can remain behind for use on future projects.

Some 25 productions have shot in the region in Saudi Arabia over the past 18 months.

Neom, a futuristic megacity being built in northwestern Saudi Arabia, has announced its anticipated incentive for productions in the region that consists of a cash rebate of at least 40.

The rebate will apply to feature films, TV drama, reality series and documentaries as well as commercials, with producers able to secure a higher percentage based on their “industry development contributions”.

These contributions include elements such as hiring of local production crew and investment in infrastructure, such as set building that can remain behind for use on future projects.

Lauded British screenwriter Tony Jordan and BAFTA nominee Colin Teague have combined on The Devil’s Promise, the latest big-budget TV series to come from Saudi Arabia’s Mbc Studios.

The pair have written and directed respectively and Hitch star Paula Patton is starring as the nation continues to ramp up its TV offering.

Airing on streamer Shahid VIP later this month, the show follows Ibrahim, who secures a gigantic project to redevelop a Cairo slum on the day is his wife is diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor. Refusing to accept the prognosis, Ibrahim tries everything in his power to save her, including promising his soul to Iblis, Aka the devil, after his death.

The show stars Patton along with Amr Youssef, Aïcha Ben Ahmed, Fathy Abdel Wahab, Yaqoub Alfarhan, Ahmed Magdy, Ahmed Al Refaei, Mohamed Yousry, Mohamed Marzban, Khaled Kamal, Moataz Hisham, Mourad Makram, Amr Gamal, Nelly Karim, and the late Maha Abou Ouf.

Ten-part adventure-fantasy series is made by Mbc Studios.

Mbc Studios, the production arm of leading Saudi media company Mbc Group, has begun filming Rise Of The Witches – the biggest ever TV series to be made in the country.

The 10-part adventure-fantasy series is being shot on purpose-built sets at Neom, a 500bn megacity that is under construction in the northwest province of Tabuk, and holds the largest ever budget for special effects for a Saudi production, according to Mbc.

The series will feature a predominantly Saudi cast, led by local stars Ida AlKusay and Sumaya Rida, and tells the story...

Production

Mbc Studios, the in-house premium content production arm of Mbc Group, has commenced production on fantasy-adventure “Rise of the Witches”, the biggest series to be ever produced with a homegrown Saudi cast, and holds the largest ever budget for special effects for a Saudi production. Supported by Neom, the series is being filmed on three purpose-built studio sets, including Saudi Arabia’s biggest purpose-built backlots to date.

Based on the best-selling Saudi mythology books by Osamah Almuslim, the series, set in ancient Arabia, tells the story of an epic war between two rival witch covens, led by Afsaar and Da’ja’a.

Growing up in a world dominated by male magicians who want to prevent women from having any access to magical powers, both witches secretly learn the arts and go on to form their own groups in order to protect themselves and gain power.

The predominantly Saudi cast...

Mbc Studios, the high-end production arm of Saudi media and entertainment giant Mbc Group, has announced shooting is underway on the fantasy-adventure Rise Of The Witches, its biggest show to date featuring a local cast and crew.

The production is currently filming on the site of Neom, the burgeoning smart city in the northeast of the country. The site, which is at the heart of the Saudi strategy to become a major film and TV production hub, previously hosted the big-budget Desert Warrior.

Mbc Studios said Neom was supporting the production and had constructed three purpose-built sets for the production, which also has the biggest special effects budget for a Saudi production to date.

The series is based on the best-selling Saudi mythology books by Osamah Almuslim. Set in ancient Arabia, it tells the story of an epic war between two rival witch covens.

Growing up in a world dominated...

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Mbc Studios, the production arm of the Saudi-owned free-to-air satellite network giant Mbc, has unveiled what it claims to be the “biggest TV series” ever to be shot in the country.

Rise of the Witches, a 10-part fantasy-adventure series based on the bestselling books by Saudi author Osamah Al Muslim, is now in production at Neom, the name of the coastal area in the north east of the country due to be home to a much-hyped 500 billion megacity, using three purpose-built studio sets, including Saudi Arabia’s biggest purpose built backlot. Mbc Studios recently shot the feature Desert Warrior — starring Anthony Mackie and understood to be the most expensive film made in Saudi Arabia — at Neom, one of two major Hollywood titles it’s producing alongside the Gerard Butler action-thriller Kandahar.

According to Mbc, the series is the biggest series ever produced with a homegrown Saudi cast,...

Zeinab Abu Alsamh has only been general manager of Mbc Studios Saudi Arabia for a year but with the blazing speed at which the local industry is growing, she says it has felt more like five.

“Things are happening a lot faster than I anticipated,” the Saudi native says. “But it’s great because for the last 40 years we haven’t had our stories come out—I’m not even talking about the world—I’m talking about come out even to us.”

Abu Alsamh, who previously was the chief commercial officer of the Saudi Broadcasting Authority, is responsible for overseeing all Saudi content and development projects for Mbc Studios, the in-house production arm of the Saudi-owned free-to-air network giant Mbc, as well as expanding the content production industry in the kingdom.

With 13 different regions and a population of 30 million people, two-thirds of whom are under the age of 35 and hungry for content,...