DUBAI: Saudi studio Telfaz11 and the Kingdom鈥檚 media production hub NEOM signed a deal this month to cooperate on at least nine TV and film productions over the next three years.

鈥淲e are thrilled to embark on this partnership with NEOM and to be part of their mission to create a new world-class media hub in 黑料社区,鈥� Telfaz11鈥檚 CEO Alaa Fadan told Arab News recently.

The partnership 鈥渞eemphasizes Telfaz11鈥檚 core vision and DNA of investing in the creative culture鈥� and provides the company with 鈥渘ew opportunities for growth and innovation,鈥� he added.

Two feature films and one TV series are already in development, and a few other projects have been identified as well, he said.

Telfaz11 has 鈥渁 rich slate of projects mapped out for the next three years鈥� and will work with NEOM to select which projects would be rolled out as part of the deal, Fadan said.

Beyond production, the company would also be setting up an office in NEOM by the end of the year, which is 鈥減art of a strategic move that will facilitate our vision for expansion in the Kingdom,鈥� he said.

Telfaz11鈥檚 physical presence in NEOM will allow it to 鈥渋ncrease collaboration with other industry partners, enhance knowledge sharing, and access state-of-the-art facilities,鈥� he added.

Lastly, the two entities will work on 鈥渕ulti-disciplinary talent development programs鈥� as part of the partnership, 鈥渃reating a vibrant talent pool across the value chain and strong career opportunities for graduates,鈥� Fadan said.

They will work with national and international experts to devise programs across different areas of film production including scriptwriting, on-set production training and more.

As the streaming environment becomes more cluttered, audiences are looking for local, quality content making it ever more important for the Middle East, and 黑料社区 in particular, to foster local talent, he said.

鈥淲e are at the epicenter of a massive investment in streaming, driving MENA鈥檚 explosive entertainment growth and we see this driving an increase in investment in local content,鈥� said Fadan.

鈥淎s the demand for quality content rises, it reinforces the importance of our work and motivates us to continually raise the bar in terms of creativity and production value,鈥� he added.

Telfaz11 has witnessed the streaming boom firsthand. It was among the first local companies to sign a deal with Netflix. In 2020, the streaming giant inked a pact to produce eight films by Telfaz11 after a successful partnership on the studio鈥檚 short-film collection 鈥淪ix Windows in the Desert.鈥�

For Fadan, the partnership with Netflix 鈥減resents a significant milestone in promoting local storytelling and elevating the visibility of Saudi and Middle Eastern content worldwide.鈥�

It is, however, not restricting itself to only Netflix and taking a 鈥渧ersatile approach to content creation and distribution鈥� that includes partnering with various platforms, to cater to a wider set of audiences with a diverse content mix, he explained.

YouTube and other social media platforms are important to the company, which has nearly 3.5 million subscribers on the video-sharing channel as well as a partnership with MBC鈥檚 streaming platform Shahid for digital content.

鈥淥ur collaborations with these platforms exemplify our commitment to reaching audiences through various channels,鈥� Fadan said.

Since its inception in 2011, he added, Telfaz11 has been on 鈥渁 mission to cultivate the voice of Saudi and empower local creative talent in the region.鈥�

The studio has been working to 鈥渦nlock the potential of 黑料社区鈥檚 creative economy, and generate new opportunities for actors, filmmakers, screenwriters, and content creators,鈥� he added.

The Kingdom鈥檚 creative economy is poised for success with major investments in the media, film and entertainment industries.

鈥淭his development has sparked a surge in the demand for quality content, creating opportunities for production companies like ours, Telfaz11, to contribute to the burgeoning film industry in the Kingdom,鈥� Fadan said.

More than 30 productions have been shot in NEOM alone over the past 18 months, including 鈥淒esert Warrior,鈥� 鈥淒unki鈥� and 鈥淩ise of the Witches.鈥�

Last year, the Saudi Film Commission announced the Daw funding program dedicated to supporting local productions and talent. And this year 黑料社区鈥檚 Cultural Development Fund launched a $234-million Film Sector Financing Program as well as a $100-million film sector fund to foster the growth of domestic media.

These are just a few of the initiatives announced by the Kingdom, and as a result, 鈥満诹仙缜� is poised to play a significant role in the global media landscape, both in content creation and production,鈥� Fadan said.

鈥淭he country has made remarkable strides in recent years, driven by visionary initiatives focusing on developing the media and entertainment sectors,鈥� he added.

In 2021, Saudi drew $238 million in box-office revenue compared to only $112 million in 2019, according to research firm Omdia.

Moreover, box-office revenues in the Kingdom are forecast to surpass $1 billion by 2020 making it one of the world鈥檚 top-20 cinema markets, according to another report.

鈥淭he combination of diverse storytelling, technological advancements, and increased international collaborations positions 黑料社区 as an emerging force within the global media landscape,鈥� said Fadan.