EXCLUSIVE: Saudi director Mahmoud Sabbagh has struck a deal with France-based digital film distributor and aggregator for the international digital release of his feature Last Party in R. Desert.
The dark comedy, which is Saudi film pioneer Sabbagh’s third film after breakthrough 2016 comedy-romance Barakah Meets Barakah, originally debuted on Netflix last July.
Under the agreement with Under The Milky Away, the film will now play on Apple TV, Google Play, and Prime Video across multiple international territories, launching in the UK, Ireland, and other English-speaking markets on February 2, followed by the U.S. and Canada on February 3.
The feature revolves around cash-driven local impresario Najm, who is the son of a renowned wedding singer, struggling to keep his music troupe afloat amid professional strife and a changing night-life scene in contemporary Saudi Arabia.
Under The Milky Way will oversee the international digital rollout through its distribution service Claudia, created with support from the French Ministry of Culture. Following its initial transactional release, the film is expected to expand to subscription and ad-supported platforms later in the year.
Sabbagh wrote and directed the feature and also produces under the banner of this Jeddah-based El-Housh Productions in co-production with Cairo and Dubai-based boutique production company Nine Projects.
