“They were sort of building that as we moved forward and were like, ‘you can throw that in as well’,” says Mercuri. Saudi broadcasting giant MBC boarded Kandahar early on as a major investor, but the film also benefitted from the country’s hugely competitive 40 percent cash rebate for features, documentaries and animation, which was only announced in December at the inaugural Red Sea Film Festival (Saudi’s first major international film event). and get that level of support from the government,” he tells THR.Ī major part of this support was financial. “They really rolled up their sleeves and did what they could and got us what we needed, and it was impressive - you can’t come to the U.S. That said, being the first major production to decamp there for some time (it shot for 36 days, before moving to Jeddah) did come with some benefits.Īccording to Kandahar producer Christian Mercuri of Capstone Pictures, whatever “extra challenges” there may have been with regard to infrastructure, the production process was significantly smoothed by the authorities, who went to extra lengths to roll out the red carpet for their Hollywood guests. “It’ll be like a resort where people can come and feel safe and comfortable,” says Strachan (who also notes that AlUla’s airport has recently become international, with direct flights now from Paris.īut for early arrivals like Kandahar - which actually wasn’t the first to film in AlUla, with the Russo Brothers’ Cherry shooting for three days in January 2020 - the team had to construct its own studio and stay in a hotel. And some of these production teams may be able to fly in direct. ALULA SAUDI ARABIA TVPurpose-built facilities will soon be available in AlUla, part of the historic incense route and a region of vastly changing landscapes filled with sand dunes, desert oases, rocky outcrops and ancient ruins (including Saudi’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site), some dating back to the Neolithic period of the Stone Age.Īccording to Stephen Strachan, film commissioner at The Royal Commission for AlUla who joined in 2019 and oversaw the launch of its film and TV promotional arm Film AlUla last year, two stages of around 23,000 square feet each are currently being built, alongside 300 self-contained accommodation units for cast and crew, which should open mid-2022. Drama Launch in U.K., Beating 'Game of Thrones' 'House of the Dragon' Becomes Sky's Biggest U.S.
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