Saudi Arabia’s Film AlUla – the film commission for the swathe of northwest Saudi Arabia – is bolstering its role as a cornerstone of the kingdom’s ongoing effort to build a film industry ecosystem thanks to its recent partnership with global studios giant MBS Group and its ongoing rapport with the Red Sea Film Foundation. That was the main takeaway of a panel held as part of Variety’s Global Conversations at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
Phillip Jones, chief tourism officer of The Royal Commission for AlUla, underlined how “one of the real needs we have is training locals for jobs in the industry.” This is being done in tandem with both MBS Group – which comprises Manhattan Beach Studios, home to James Cameron’s “Avatar” sequels, and the state-of-the-art AlUla Studios – and the Red Sea labs and fund. Faisal Baltyuor, CEO of Red Sea Film Foundation, pointed out 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 films shot in AlUla that went on to surface on the international fest circuit: Tawfik Alzaidi’s “Norah,” which in 2024 became Saudi’s first film in the Cannes official selection, and Shahad Ameen’s “Hijra,” which went to Venice in 2025.
As for the studio facilities in AlUla, there are already two 25,000 square foot stages and a state-of-the art recording studio, said MBS Group chief studio and real estate 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 note.
Jones proudly pointed out that Stampede Ventures’ “Chasing Red,” an adaptation of Isabell Ronin’s bestselling YA romance that shot in AlUla in January, is the first Hollywood movie made entirely 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 news announced in Cannes that Saudi Arabia has raised its rebate for film and TV productions from 40% to a whopping 60% is going to help keep the momentum to drive its nascent industry going.
“Yes, we are quite young” said Baltyuor, referring to the fact that Saudi entered the global film arena in late 2017 after removing 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.”
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