CANNES — The General Culture Authority (GCA) announced here Friday the launch of a number of major programs to support Saudi filmmakers, film industry and film production in the Kingdom, as well as non-Saudi filmmakers who are looking forward to film in the Kingdom, as a new location for filming and production, Saudi Press Agency reported Friday.
These initiatives are expected to have a positive impact on the local film industry and talent development, especially with the announcement of a grant program and international partnerships to develop skills and technical capabilities. These initiatives will also contribute to the growth of production in the local market.
The GCA in the Kingdom is working to develop the cultural sector, including the film sector in the Kingdom, in a sustainable fashion that also contributes to economic and social development by creating new jobs and increasing spending on services and infrastructure of the sector through such initiatives.
The director general of the GCA and Supervisor of the Saudi Film Council, Eng. Ahmed Al-Mazayd, expressed his happiness over this announcement during the first Saudi participation in the Cannes Film Festival, considering that these initiatives will develop talents, abilities and film content produced in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the CEO of the Saudi Films Council Faisal Baltuyoor said the Council would generally focus on “developing skills and technical capabilities”. It considers this aspect to be basic for building a sustainable sector.
In this connection, the Council has launched a national grants program and another for partnerships in developing the skills and technical capabilities of talented Saudis, as the first step for sustainable development based on specialist education and knowledge in order to develop the local economy. Empowerment of Saudi talents and abilities will contribute to shedding light on Saudi talents and capabilities in developing more local content, Baltuyoor said.
As to the international partnerships program for developing Saudi talents, it includes partnerships with the most prestigious film institute’s worldwide, like the University of Southern California (USC), which is the best university teaching film-making in the world, Studio School, and Film Independent in the US.
The Council has also partnered with the French institutes of “La Femis” and “Les Gobelins”, which are deemed the best institutes in the world in teaching animation. The two French institutes will provide training to ambitious Saudi young men and women. There is also a special program for training trainers so as to develop local capabilities in a sustainable fashion.
Training workshops for 2018 will be held in the Kingdom, Los Angeles and Paris. These will provide short and intensive specialist training as well as summer training weeks and camps, designed in order to provide the various skills required for film production. These include directing, editing, screenwriting, music and sound design, 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional action and VR/AR.