MBC CEO Sam Barnett on Beating Netflix Beyond Ramadan and Navigating Saudi Arabia’s Production Boom (EXCLUSIVE)

Naman Ramachandran Cannes Next, the Marché du Film’s innovation-driven platform exploring the future of the entertainment sector, has revealed an exclusive partnership deal with U.K. film and TV group Film Soho. Film Soho will act as principal partner and presenter of Cannes Next’s 2023 program at this year’s Marché du Film, taking place from May 16-24 May. Alongside real-time production technology outfit Disguise, Cannes Next and Film Soho will present the Global Virtual Production Summit on May 19 – a full day of activities and dialogue dedicated to virtual production and aimed to connect leaders of media tech and innovation with producers and studio heads who are currently shaping the future of the entertainment industry.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Top Middle East broadcaster MBC Group has forged a partnership with U.S. anime and manga distributor Tokyopop under which they are forming a hub dedicated to the licensing, promotion, and production of anime content in the region. The joint venture, called MBC Anime, is led by Stu Levy, the American anime and manga expert who is founder and CEO of Tokyopop, a prominent international distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime and manga. Through the new initiative, MBC Anime “will commission, produce, and invest in a series of world-class quality anime titles,” according to an MBC statement.

France has announced a measure banning all recreational apps from the work phones of the country’s 2.5 million civil servants. The move, seemingly sparked by recent concerns over TikTok, also impacts a raft of other social media and content platforms.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Saudi Arabia is launching soft money schemes worth a total $234 million available to both local and international companies over the next three years in its ongoing effort to launch a local film and TV industry almost from scratch. The Saudi Cultural Development Fund officially unveiled its so-called Film Sector Financing Program during the Ignite the Scene event dedicated to the film industry held in Riyadh last week. In an interview on Monday with Variety Najla AlNomair, who is the cultural development fund’s chief strategy and business development officer, said that the Saudi soft money pot is split into two parts: one allocated for loans that amounts to $154 million, and the other for investments, amounting to $80 million.

Saudi Cultural Development Fund (CDF) has officially launched its Film Sector Financing Program (FSFP) offering financial support to local and international film companies that want to get involved in the country’s burgeoning cinema industry.

Will Smith chats with Lewis Hamilton for a quick minute ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia held at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on Sunday (March 19) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Sweet Tooth will be back on Netflix before you know it!

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Hams Fekri, a 29-year-old Saudi wedding singer from Jeddah, has been crowned the winner of the first season of “Saudi Idol” during a moving live finale from The Boulevard Riyadh City recreational complex. The golden-throated Fekri was exultant after battling it out in front of a live studio audience and panel of judges for 13 weeks. She emerged victorious out of three finalists to win most audience votes for the night. Fekri’s mother — who achieved success as a pop singer during the 1980s, but subsequently faded into obscurity — hugged her daughter on stage.  In addition to being named the very first “Saudi Idol,” Fekri also won a recording contract with MBC Group’s Platinum Records label which involves the release of a full studio album in the coming months.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Israel’s Yaron Shani, best known for his feature debut “Ajami,” nominated for the Best International Feature Oscar in 2010, is presenting his debut television series, “Innermost,” at Series Mania. Variety is unveiling an exclusive first look at the series, which world premieres March 20 at the prominent television event unspooling in Lille, France over March 17-24. The six-episode limited series, world premiering in Series Mania’s International Panorama section, follows three characters whose lives intersect. Among them is a police officer, played by Eran Naim, a former cop himself, who first appeared in “Ajami.” The second is an upcoming writer who struggles to recover from a traumatic experience, while the third is a young aspiring musician who chafes against his parents’ wish to do his duty and join the military service, mandatory in Israel.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival has announced a dozen projects from young filmmakers from Saudi, and the wider Arab and African region, selected for its development program, the Red Sea Lodge, in collaboration with TorinoFilmLab and sponsored by the Film AlUla film commission. The Lodge is a 10-month mentorship program that has now opened up to African works along with Saudi and Arab projects. Winners will take home a portion of the total $200,000 pot in prizes that will be awarded during the fest’s 2023 edition in December.  The selected projects from Saudi Arabia are:

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Kuwaiti-born writer-director Zeyad (also known as “Z”) Alhusaini, whose action movie with comedic undertones “How I Got There” recently won the audience award at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival, has joined United Talent Agency for representation in all areas. The groundbreaking film about two best buddies from childhood, named Salem and Asad, who stumble upon a gun shipment and try to seize this opportunity to get rich quick is set entirely in the Persian Gulf. “How I Got There” provides a relatively realistic glimpse of Kuwait’s present-day melting-pot of cultures, and its underworld of gun-running mercenaries, gangs, and terrorists, plus the local rap scene.

Lewis Capaldi has revealed that his brand new Netflix show 'How I'm Feeling Now' will be released on the streaming platform next month.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Saudi Arabia’s Film AlUla, the entity looking to attract international productions to a sprawling area of desert and giant boulders that boasts an ancient city, is forging fashion world ties. The film commission for the swathe of northwest Saudi Arabia roughly the size of Belgium that also comprises a lush oasis and vast sandstone canyons, is launching an initiative called AlUla Creates involving use of an eco-friendly studio and the possibility of tapping into development funds for projects by female directors at the intersection of film and fashion. AlUla Creates has partnered with the British Fashion Council and with Saudi actress Mia Al Zahrani (“The Perfect Candidate”); British filmmaker and creative director Alec Maxwell – founder of digital platform Kloss Films whose clients include Bulgari, Stella McCartney, and Carolina Herrera –; and fashion models Helena Christensen and Eva Herzigova as “ambassadors” to promote the platform, according to a statement.

Molly-Mae Hauge has taken a trip to London with baby Bambi as the mum and daughter enjoy a stay at the plush Bulgari Hotel in Central London. The influencer, who gave birth in January, has shared a series of pictures social media as they lap up the luxury life-style.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Prominent Arab journalist Nakhle Elhage, who ran the Al Arabiya news network for 16 years, is launching a digital startup called Blinx to produce news and short form storytelling content targeting Gen Z and millennials in the Middle East and beyond. Headquartered in a high-tech Dubai Media City studio, Blinx is being dubbed as the first digital native storytelling hub in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). It “will soon launch on multiple platforms,” according to a statement. The digital startup, which is financed by unspecified UAE-based investors, is offering a “more story, less noise approach,” the statement said, with content made by young people “delivering relatable content to a young audience in a way the MENA region has yet to see,” it added.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Middle East satellite and streaming platform OSN Group has extended its relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery forging a new multi-year licensing deal under which it will become the exclusive home for HBO content in the region. In addition to HBO shows, such as “Succession,” the renewed agreement has been expanded to cover additional content and channel offerings from Warner Bros. giving OSN premium access to recent blockbuster movie hits such as “The Batman,” “Dune,” “The Matrix Resurrections,” and “The Suicide Squad.” The deal was announced in Dubai with “Succession” star Brian Cox on hand.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF) has increased its stake in Japanese film and TV studio Toei Company, from 5% to 6.03%, according to a report by the Reuters financial news agency. The move comes shortly after Toei published a ten-year plan for international expansion. Toei includes film and TV production operations, the T-Joy cinema chain and Toei Animation. Last month, it said that it had beaten its film revenue record, thanks to the success of titles including “The First Slam Dunk,” “The Legend of Butterfly” and “One Piece Film Red.” The stake increase also follows PIF’s February announcement that it had increased its stake in Japanese games and console maker Nintendo to 8.26% and that (along with the Singapore state fund GIC) was a buyer of a $966 million bond issue from Korean entertainment-tech firm Kakao Corp.

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Saudi Arabian family comedy Sattar, set against the world of freestyle wrestling, has continued its record-breaking run at home to become one of the country’s top five highest-grossing local movies ever.

Molly-Mae Hague has been sharing an insight into home life after having her man Tommy Fury home from his victory in Saudi Arabia. The former Love Island star greeted her partner through the door of their plush home with open arms and a 'Welcome Home Champ' display after the Manchester boxer was victorious in his fight against Jake Paul on Sunday night three weeks after welcoming newborn daughter Bambi into the world.