Middle East Cinema Giant Vox Unveils First Series of Arab Feature Films – The Hollywood Reporter

Vox Cinemas, the largest exhibitor in the Middle East, has the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia to underline a major push in Arab feature films and unveil its first batch of local original films.

The lineup includes titles from new and established filmmakers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Lebanon and is part of Vox’s previously announced commitment to produce 25 Arab films over five years.

are among the features HWJNthe adaptation of a best-selling Saudi fantasy novel and the latest collaboration from Vox, Image Nation Abu Dhabi and MBC Studios, the three signed a deal in 2019. The three entities have also joined forces for King of the Ring, a Saudi remake of the South Korean comedy-drama hit The Dirty Kingwhich will be shown during the Red Sea International Film festival.

In the meantime, I’m going! I’m going! I’m going! marks the directorial debut of Egyptian advertising director Omar Hilal. It comes from Mohamed Hefzy’s regional production powerhouse Film Clinic, alongside Image Nation Abu Dhabi.

“It is an exciting time for Arab cinema, which is gaining acclaim and audiences in the region and beyond, and tends to outperform foreign films. Clearly local productions, especially in an emerging market like Saudi Arabia, represent an untapped and real opportunity,” said Ignace Lahoud, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas, owner of Vox. “As a leading cinema company in the region, we are committed to the growth of a sustainable film industry and believe that establishing a dynamic content ecosystem is an integral part of achieving this goal.”