Saudi Film Industry Deep Dive Forum
June 2nd and 3rd 2023
Riyadh
The American Chamber of Commerce, KSA under its Arts, Culture, and Entertainment Committee hosted its first set of round table discussions between US film industry professionals and key members of the KSA film industry’s public and private sectors as part of its Saudi Film Industry Deep Dive Forum in Riyadh on Friday, June 2nd and Saturday, June 3rd at the Marriott, Diplomatic Quarter.
The two day forum series focused on the growth and development for the business-side of the Saudi film industry in the form of four engaging round table discussions. The sessions were moderated by Todd Albert Nims, Producer and Founder of Empty Quarter Productions and Advisory and focused on: Co-Productions, Legal issues, Film Finance, and Distribution in collaboration with accomplished USA film industry experts.
Tom Ara, Partner and Global Co-Chair, Media, Sport and Entertainment Sector, DLA Piper presented on the legal instruments for movie production in KSA and reviewed the legal protocols required to set up and execute a feature film production in KSA, while tackling the gaps preventing international productions from doing business in KSA.
Eric Hedayat, Producer Desert Warrior discussed how to attract and incentivize international production houses to film in Saudi Arabia.
Natan Bogin, Fonder, Hutzpah Media Partners, Talent Agent and Film Financing Agent, formerly with CAA, presented on the film agency model and opportunities for feature film financing for the Kingdom abroad.
Daniel Gusman, VP Marketing and Distribution, The Exchange, talked about international distribution for KSA future films and barriers to achieve a reliable and profitable international distribution pipeline for Saudi-made feature film productions and how KSA could position themselves to enter the international market.
The series of round table discussions created a platform to share views and expertise with fellow KSA and USA Film industry leaders to determine key business challenges and their solutions to enable further growth and development of the Saudi Film Industry. All pertinent observations and insights are being consolidated into paper to be shared with stakeholders in USA and KSA film industries.
The workshops were followed by evening dinners and reception at the residence of the US Senior Commercial Officer during which all guests enjoyed delicious Arabic meals, experienced the beauty of Riyadh, and had an opportunity to establish new connections.
The American Chamber of Commerce KSA thanks all those whom participated and contributed their knowledge and expertise to the forum and is grateful to the US State Department for providing the grant to help make this forum possible. We celebrate the success of the forum as part of our larger initiative to support the development of a profitable film and arts industry in and around the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The photo gallery from the Forum and Evening Reception under the links below:
Forum: Deep Dive Film Forum - AmChamKSA Photos
Evening Reception: Evening with the Stars - AmChamKSA Photos