Film and television production business Eric Paquette’s Meridian Pictures, a former executive at both MGM and Sony Pictures, has formed a cooperation with Saudi Arabian production house and literary management organisation Hakawati Entertainment.
In line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which seeks to create a thriving society that benefits from high-quality entertainment, knowledge transfer, and job creation, the exclusive partnership aims to bring Hollywood talent to the Saudi entertainment sector and develop stories for regional and international audiences. To paraphrase, “Hakawati is quite in tune with the regional market. As Paquette put it, “We will combine our diverse abilities to generate content, not just local language but also English-language movies for people throughout the world.
I’ve had 35 projects in the works since leaving Sony a year and a half ago. The executive, who 2021 established Meridian Pictures, went on to say, “Many of them could shoot there.” Although no slate has been decided upon, he suggested that Papa Alpha Heavy, an announced action thriller set on a commercial airplane, and The Edge, a love drama set against the backdrop of a bus disaster, would be good candidates for the relationship with Meridian. About half of Saudi Arabia’s population is under the age of 25, making them our prime demographic. As Paquette put it, “our alliance will help the region become the cinematic powerhouse of the Middle East, with the objective of 2,600 movie theatres by 2030.”
As part of its Vision 2030 strategy, Saudi Arabia recently reversed its 35-year ban on cinemas. As part of the initiative, in May of this year, the territory rolled out a 40% cash rebate for foreign and domestic projects, and at the moment, Al-Ula and Neom are being transformed into cutting-edge centers for film and television production. Hakawati Entertainment is a prominent Saudi Arabian film and TV production and literary management firm that aims to appeal to a wide range of Arabic-speaking audiences.
Its successes to date include the hit series Aram, about a man down on his luck who decides to become a taxi driver, and the sitcom Sundos, about a busy businessman who is suddenly tasked with the day-to-day care of his family, both of which make use of local talent and powerful, authentic storytelling. In 2020, a group of Saudi businesspeople and professionals in their fields founded the corporation. The corporation is led by Redha Alhaider, who serves as chairman. CEO Osama AlKhurayji and COO Sarah Bin Obaid stand on each side of him.
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As the former head of Saudi Arabia’s General Commission of Audiovisual Media (GCAM), Alhaider played a pivotal role in the country’s 2017 and 2018 efforts to liberalize its film and television industries. “We are excited to introduce this groundbreaking cooperation platform in the Kingdom, which will bring Hollywood talent and expertise here to promote the local media Industry and culture,” added Alhaidar. Hakawati Entertainment CEO Alkhurayji further commented, “It is an exciting time for us at Hakawati Entertainment, with this cooperation aiding the expansion of the sector and confirming our place in its future.” The 40% cash refund will be available to movies and TV shows made under the collaboration, and the partners are now in discussions with “different parties across the world who have expressed interest in sponsoring” these projects.
According to Paquette, the ultimate aim is to simultaneously film English- and Arab-language versions of the same product using the same set and resources but with separate cast and staff. As he put it, “this has never been done, but that is what I want to accomplish because if you have a story that works as an English-language picture and an Arab-language film, why not do it in both languages.”
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