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Saudi Arabia to Reduce Cinema License Fees to Increase Economic Contribution

The Saudi government is working to stimulate the cinema sector and increase its contribution to the economy. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi government is working to stimulate the cinema sector and increase its contribution to the economy. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia to Reduce Cinema License Fees to Increase Economic Contribution

The Saudi government is working to stimulate the cinema sector and increase its contribution to the economy. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi government is working to stimulate the cinema sector and increase its contribution to the economy. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi government has presented a package of incentive programs to enhance the sustainability of the cinema sector, which includes reducing the financial fees for operating licenses for permanent and temporary cinemas, in a move that increases the economic contribution of companies and stimulates greater entry of the private sector into the entertainment field.

Since the opening of the first movie theater in the Kingdom in April 2018 until March 2024, Saudi cinema achieved revenues of about SAR 3.7 billion ($986 million), while over 61 million tickets have been sold, revealed recent figures from the General Authority for Media Regulation.

CEO of the Saudi Film Commission Engineer Abdullah Al-Qahtani stressed the continued efforts to stimulate the film industry by encouraging private sector companies operating cinemas to offer discounts and promotions to the public with the aim of promoting film culture.

He explained that the reduction of the financial fees for cinema licenses and ticket prices was in line with the international average, and to support cinema companies in the sustainability and growth of the sector.

Specialists told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Film Commission’s decision was aimed at boosting the role of the private sector and enhancing its sustainability, which would contribute to reducing ticket prices and attracting more cinemagoers.

Former head of the National Entertainment Committee at the Federation of Saudi Chambers, and investor in the entertainment sector Al-Waleed Al-Baltan said the decision will encourage companies to enter the Saudi market and add more cinema screens, given the large demand from the public.

The move supports the capabilities of the private sector and allows it to offer competitive prices for movie tickets and promotions, which boosts the economic contribution of these companies, he underlined.

General Manager and CEO of Abdul Mohsen Al Hokair Company Majed Al Hokair explained that companies operating in the cinema sector will provide affordable ticket prices.

Since its establishment in 2020, the Saudi Film Commission has worked to promote the film sector in the Kingdom, by developing the relevant infrastructure and regulatory framework, encourage financing and investment, ensure the sector’s access to local talent, stimulate local production, and attract international production.

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Alfonso Cuarón, Cate Blanchett Bring Series ‘Disclaimer’ to Venice Film Festival 

Cast member Cate Blanchett poses on the red carpet during arrivals for the screening of the mini-series "Disclaimer", out of competition, at the 81st Venice Film Festival, in Venice, Italy August 29, 2024. (Reuters)
Cast member Cate Blanchett poses on the red carpet during arrivals for the screening of the mini-series "Disclaimer", out of competition, at the 81st Venice Film Festival, in Venice, Italy August 29, 2024. (Reuters)
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Alfonso Cuarón, Cate Blanchett Bring Series ‘Disclaimer’ to Venice Film Festival 

Cast member Cate Blanchett poses on the red carpet during arrivals for the screening of the mini-series "Disclaimer", out of competition, at the 81st Venice Film Festival, in Venice, Italy August 29, 2024. (Reuters)
Cast member Cate Blanchett poses on the red carpet during arrivals for the screening of the mini-series "Disclaimer", out of competition, at the 81st Venice Film Festival, in Venice, Italy August 29, 2024. (Reuters)

Alfonso Cuarón is the first to admit that he does not know how to make a television series. He might even be too old to learn how, he said.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker has technically now made a series, the seven-part AppleTV+ show “Disclaimer,” four episodes of which premiered Thursday at the Venice Film Festival. But he did it his way: Like a film.

Based on Renée Knight’s 2015 book of the same name, “Disclaimer” is a psychological thriller about a documentarian and journalist, Catherine Ravenscroft (Cate Blanchett), who discovers she’s a character in a novel that reveals her darkest secret.

Cuarón, Blanchett and Kevin Kline all made the journey to the Italian film festival to debut and speak about the show before it begins streaming on Oct. 11.

“I read the book and immediately in my mind I saw a film, but I didn’t know how to make that film,” Cuarón, the director of films including “Gravity” and “Roma,” said in a news conference Thursday. “It was way too long. I could not shape it as such.”

It was only later, he said, that he thought it might work in longer form, inspired by predecessors like Rainer Werner Fassbinder, David Lynch and Krzysztof Kieślowski.

“I was intrigued and that was the point of departure,” Cuarón said.

He started writing with one name in mind for Catherine: Blanchett, terrified that she might say no. Not only did she not say no, she also was the one who suggested Kline for a British character. Sacha Baron Cohen plays her husband in the show and Kodi Smit-McPhee plays her son.

All soon realized that approaching it as a film, and shooting it as a film, would take much longer than a normal series. He even enlisted two cinematographers, Emmanuel Lubezki and Bruno Delbonnel, to add a distinct visual language to the different perspectives in the story. All told, it took about a year.

“It was a really long process,” Cuarón said. “And I really feel for the actors because they were stuck with the characters for way too long.”

Blanchett laughed that they were “still recovering.”

The final three episodes will screen Friday at the festival. Though the festival is most known for its feature film premieres, it does play host to select series as well. This year those also include Joe Wright’s Mussolini biopic “M: Son of the Century,” Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The New Years” and Thomas Vinterberg’s “Families Like Ours.”