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Saudi Film Commission Announces Opening of Virtual Production Platform in Collaboration with Sony and Pixomondo 

JAX Film Studios is a fully integrated, high-end production center, housing two 1,500-square-meter soundstages, a VIP lounge, a modern cinema screening room, and fully equipped production offices and prep spaces. (SPA)
JAX Film Studios is a fully integrated, high-end production center, housing two 1,500-square-meter soundstages, a VIP lounge, a modern cinema screening room, and fully equipped production offices and prep spaces. (SPA)
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Saudi Film Commission Announces Opening of Virtual Production Platform in Collaboration with Sony and Pixomondo 

JAX Film Studios is a fully integrated, high-end production center, housing two 1,500-square-meter soundstages, a VIP lounge, a modern cinema screening room, and fully equipped production offices and prep spaces. (SPA)
JAX Film Studios is a fully integrated, high-end production center, housing two 1,500-square-meter soundstages, a VIP lounge, a modern cinema screening room, and fully equipped production offices and prep spaces. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s Film Commission announced on Tuesday the opening of an advanced virtual production platform at JAX Film Studios, the latest cinematic production facility in the capital, Riyadh, marking a pivotal step in developing the Kingdom’s film industry infrastructure.

The platform was designed in collaboration with Pixomondo, a specialist in visual effects and virtual production, and built with Sony’s latest VERONA Crystal LED technology, making the virtual studio ready to host the most ambitious film productions.

The platform comprises 2,720 Sony VERONA Crystal LED panels with a 2.3 mm pixel pitch and stage dimensions of 23 meters wide, 27.5 meters deep and 10 meters high. It features advanced integration of camera tracking, real-time processing, and in-camera VFX, enabling high-fidelity, photoreal simulation that meets the demands of major Hollywood productions.

JAX Film Studios is a fully integrated, high-end production center, housing two 1,500-square-meter soundstages, a VIP lounge, a modern cinema screening room, and fully equipped production offices and prep spaces, providing filmmakers with an end-to-end work environment under one roof.

CEO of the Film Commission Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Qahtani said: “JAX Film Studios is a milestone in the trajectory of Saudi filmmaking. Investing in world-class virtual production infrastructure is a strategic step toward building a globally competitive film industry and reflects the commission’s commitment to empowering filmmakers with the technologies, facilities and partnerships that support their creativity and output at the highest levels.”

General Manager of Sector Development and Investment Attraction at the commission Abduljalil Alnasser emphasized that the project represents a qualitative leap in the regional production landscape, noting that the integration of Sony and Pixomondo expertise and the technologies used at JAX Film Studios provide a production environment to global standards, from pixel precision to the highest levels of technical integration.

With its strategic location in Riyadh, JAX Film Studios offers filmmakers direct access to luxury hotels, the international airport, and a growing ecosystem of production services and talent in the Kingdom, making it a preferred destination for local and international productions.

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Entertainment

Disney Offers Fans an Escapist Bubble at D23 Event

Fans show up to tune out the world at Disney's D23 fan convention. Jerod Harris / AFP
Fans show up to tune out the world at Disney's D23 fan convention. Jerod Harris / AFP
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Disney Offers Fans an Escapist Bubble at D23 Event

Fans show up to tune out the world at Disney's D23 fan convention. Jerod Harris / AFP
Fans show up to tune out the world at Disney's D23 fan convention. Jerod Harris / AFP

Disney devotees lined up for a weekend of escapism at D23, the official fan club's biennial convention that draws tens of thousands of people to Anaheim for three days, billed as "the Ultimate Disney Fan Event."

With Disneyland itself just down the road, loyal subjects of the magic kingdom attend galas, buy unique items, trade pins and take photos with some of their favorite costumed characters.

Passes range from $50 to $2,500 -- a small price to pay to escape the real world, fans say.

"Our world is so chaotic and unstable, and it seems like the bad guys are always winning," Monica Romero, 37, told AFP. "Even though people make fun of it because, it's like 'oh, that's not real life.'"

"There's a reason why we like it," she said, adding that the Disney event reminds her "good can always win."

Thirty-eight-year-old Skyla told AFP she visits "the happiest place on Earth" twice a week, so she looks forward to the presentation that offers updates on the park's rides and experiences.

"You go into the park, and the real world gets to disappear for a while, and you just get to enjoy that time and just have happiness," she said, while dressed up as Lady, the pampered cocker spaniel from the cartoon "Lady and the Tramp."

- Pin-tasia -

Celebrities, filmmakers and creatives come to D23 to promote their projects while commercial partners sell Disney-branded merchandise.

Some fans bring collectible pieces to trade, like 19-year-old Chase Halon, a Disneyland worker who has amassed countless pins and is still hunting for more treasures.

"It's really fun and super-addicting as well," he said. "A lot of the stuff that just came out today is pretty hard to find. But a lot of older stuff is also hard to find."

His prized pin is of the purple dinosaur Figment, which is a limited edition that Halon believes could be worth $5,000 "give or take."

The event is also festooned with opportunities to take photos with the fantasy worlds of their beloved characters, from classic princesses and witches to Homer Simpson and "Toy Story."

On the Simpsons set, fans recreated the meme of Homer quietly backing into the bushes.

At the "Devil Wears Prada" space, they struck a pose for the cover of fictional magazine "Runway."

In the Pixar world, they stepped into Andy's room, littered with toys.

Each attraction offered its own opportunity to take a mental vacation from reality.

Entertainment

Monica Bellucci and Florin Serban Win at Locarno Film Festival

(L-R) Italian actress Rachele Testagrossa, Italian actor Salvatore Gallina, Italian actress Monica Bellucci and Italian film director Giovanni Tortorici pose during a photocall for the film 'Kettice' at the 79th Locarno Film Festival in Locarno, Switzerland, 08 August 2026. EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT
(L-R) Italian actress Rachele Testagrossa, Italian actor Salvatore Gallina, Italian actress Monica Bellucci and Italian film director Giovanni Tortorici pose during a photocall for the film 'Kettice' at the 79th Locarno Film Festival in Locarno, Switzerland, 08 August 2026. EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT
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Monica Bellucci and Florin Serban Win at Locarno Film Festival

(L-R) Italian actress Rachele Testagrossa, Italian actor Salvatore Gallina, Italian actress Monica Bellucci and Italian film director Giovanni Tortorici pose during a photocall for the film 'Kettice' at the 79th Locarno Film Festival in Locarno, Switzerland, 08 August 2026. EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT
(L-R) Italian actress Rachele Testagrossa, Italian actor Salvatore Gallina, Italian actress Monica Bellucci and Italian film director Giovanni Tortorici pose during a photocall for the film 'Kettice' at the 79th Locarno Film Festival in Locarno, Switzerland, 08 August 2026. EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

"You Don't Belong Here" by Romanian director Florin Serban won the Golden Leopard on Saturday at the 79th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, while Italian star Monica Bellucci won an acting award in another movie.

Serban, a leading figure of the Romanian New Wave, said on the festival website that his film was "above all, a portrait of a way of seeing the world that may be disappearing. Or perhaps should disappear."

Romanian film director Florin Serban poses with his 'Pardo d'Oro - Grand Prize of the Festival and City of Locarno' Golden Leopard award of the 'Concorso Internazionale' category for the movie 'Nu e locul tau aici' (You Don't Belong Here) during a photocall at the 79th Locarno Film Festival, in Locarno, Switzerland, 15 August 2026. EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

The jury honoured Monica Bellucci for her role in "Kettice" by Giovanni Tortorici, a film about teenagers' search for identity and desire for freedom.

South Korean actress Kim Minhee also won an acting award for "Nowhere to Lay My Eyes," by Hong Sangsoo, the story of a brother and sister visiting their mother on Jeju Island.

Serban's dark film clocks in at more than two-and-a-half hours, exploring the relationship between Marius, the head doctor at the hospital in his small hometown, and his teenage son Ioan, whom he has raised alone since his wife's death.

Marius's world is turned upside down when he learns that the police suspect his son of murder. The festival jury praised the film for the "strength of its writing, the uniqueness of its vision, and its exceptional command of film language,” AFP reported.

Seventeen films competed for the Golden Leopard, the highest honor at the film event held every summer in the small Swiss town on the shores of Lake Maggiore. It comes with a prize of 75,000 Swiss francs ($92,000), shared between director and producer.

Entertainment

Disney Reveals Marvel's New 'X-Men' Cast, 'Frozen 3' at D23 Fan Event

Marvel Universe cosplayers take part in a photo op outside the entrance to D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Marvel Universe cosplayers take part in a photo op outside the entrance to D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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Disney Reveals Marvel's New 'X-Men' Cast, 'Frozen 3' at D23 Fan Event

Marvel Universe cosplayers take part in a photo op outside the entrance to D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Marvel Universe cosplayers take part in a photo op outside the entrance to D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has revealed the star-studded cast of the upcoming "X-Men" film at Disney's D23 fan event in California.

The biennial D23 gathering is Disney's biggest showcase for upcoming films and television series, and the "X-Men" cast reveal was among the most anticipated announcements of the event.

The stars of the film, which will be released in May 2028, took to the stage in Anaheim on Friday, including Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Christopher Abbott as Professor X, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm and Adam Driver as Nathaniel Milbury, also ⁠known as Mr. ⁠Sinister.

Disney also unveiled details of "Frozen 3," which picks up as Anna is getting married and arrives in cinemas in November next year. First-look footage teased a new female antagonist whose identity and voice actor remain undisclosed.

Cast members Kristen Bell, the voice of Anna, and Idina Menzel, the voice of sister Elsa, performed a new version of “Frozen Heart,” while Josh Gad, who ⁠voices living snowman Olaf, debuted a new song, “Ooooh, Samantha.”

Other highlights included first-look footage from "Star Wars: Starfighter," starring Ryan Gosling, who is also attached to Disney's upcoming Marvel Studios project, "Ghost Rider."

Disney screened footage and announced an October 14 release date for "VisionQuest", a Disney+ miniseries created by Terry Matalas based on the Marvel Comics character Vision. The "WandaVision" spin-off sees Paul Bettany reprising his role alongside James Spader, who returns as Ultron.

Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter announced a summer 2028 "Incredibles 3" release, with the superhero family reuniting to face a powerful new villain.

“It's the kids turn,” Docter said. “They've been sneaking out ⁠at night ⁠to protect the city.”

Docter also shared details about "Coco 2," which takes place several years after the original 2017 animated film set in the land of the dead, with protagonist Miguel now a teenager.

Benjamin Bratt, who voices antagonist Ernesto de la Cruz, appeared on stage to discuss the sequel.

“Ernesto de la Cruz is out for revenge, taking Miguel back to the land of the dead,” Bratt said of the film scheduled for a November 2029 release.

Docter said an animated series based on the "Kingdom Hearts" video game franchise was in development, while the fourth installment of the Disney and Square Enix game would feature a "Coco" world. Footage shown at the convention showed the main character from "Kingdom Hearts", Sora, exploring the animated setting.