There must be few, if any, places in the world right now that extend quite so far back archaeologically, and, simultaneously, quite so far into the future. Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, AlUla, describes itself as “a living museum … that holds 200,000 years of largely unexplored human history,” while the country’s now much-publicized young population (in June 2023, its General Authority for Statistics revealed that 63 percent is under 30) has the energy, means and, since Saudi opened its borders to non-religious tourists for the first time in 2019, the opportunity to demonstrate the oasis city’s cutting-edge talents and facilities.
Just last month, Film AlUla’s own state-of-the-art studios opened, including 26,000-square-foot soundstages, 15,400-square-foot workshops for each stage and a 61,500-square-foot backlot for more temporary infrastructure and set builds.
“We are doing our utmost not just to catch up, but to be a bit of a beacon for creativity and film,” explains Charlene Deleon-Jones, Film AlUla’s executive director, who also sits on the wider leadership board for Saudi Tourism. “There’s lots and lots happening, as you would expect there to be given that five years ago — there was no industry.” Deleon-Jones spoke to THR about some of the latest activity, as well as why AlUla is fast-becoming an exciting place on the film industry map, beyond the 40 percent cash rebate program and many other special incentives it offers.
Where did you look to for inspiration for the studios, or did you try not to look elsewhere?
Oh yes, we definitely looked around for inspiration: There was a “vision stage.” AlUla is a World Heritage Site, and the design team has a lot of power — there’s a lot of focus on aesthetics. So we knew from the start that a “box in the sand” was not going to be well received. We paid close attention to great builds in other countries with a similar temperature, for example, New Mexico. We also looked at traditional studios; the big ones that have evolved over decades. We have the opportunity in AlUla to masterplan, rather than iterate, to get more of a flow. What was really heartening was that, specifically in the U.K., studios were open for us to come and look around.
What have the highlights been for Film AlUla over the last six months, since you last spoke with THR?
We’ve launched AlUla Creates, a platform to share knowledge and mentor in both directions, from Saudi and the rest of the world. I’ve just heard that we have had a spectacular response in terms of entries. We’re focused on female talent this year. The soundstages themselves have also been completed. The build started and finished this year, which is no mean feat.
Before we were looking at productions coming in, and there were gaps in the calendar. Now, part of our challenge is, “How do we create enough space for film crews coming in?” We expected the studios to be a year-round facility. But we didn’t expect filming on location to be year-round, because the tourist system is seasonal, and we had assumed that would be the same for film. This summer has been extremely busy with local and international productions, and lots of recces too. We’ve kept certain hotels open as a result. We weren’t expecting that to happen in the height of August. I was expecting that my team could have a bit of a holiday. There wasn’t much holiday going on.
The other thing, which is different even since February: Before, if you’d say “AlUla,” you might get a blank face. And if you then said “Saudi,” you’d get a blank and confused face. Whereas now you say “Film AlUla” and there’s less explaining to do. They may not fully understand or know what’s there, but it’s no longer a name that people are completely unfamiliar with.
Something which seems to have helped with that is having a lot of celebrity visitors come to AlUla, including many major Hollywood stars. Would you agree?
I would say yes and no. For Film AlUla, we’re really keen for celebrity involvement to be meaningful, rather than photo op-focused. Now there’s a strong focus on any such visitors connecting with the local community. We’re very much about developing film as a sustainable industry, and part of that is the elevation of the people that live here to storytell. And also for them to have human faces. You probably hear about how incredibly young the Saudi population is, but you don’t get a sense of that properly until you’re here. So I think there, celebrity has helped.
What can you share about what’s scheduled for 2024?
There are quite a few Bollywood productions, and we have some K-pop coming in. One production is K-pop meets hip-hop. Recognizable names from the hip-hop and R&B community who are partnering on a K-pop film. I’ve also seen a number of independent films come in from the U.K. and U.S., and we’re seeing lots of French-language documentaries coming through too. On the regional Saudi side of things, we’re starting to see streaming services invest time in developing their South-East Pacific content, which makes sense, because from a box-office perspective, it’s the fastest growing. It’s one of the few where the cinema-goers are still relatively young.
Kandahar is the biggest film to shoot in AlUla yet. What would you say is its lasting legacy on the ground?
It was there first. And it also was here during COVID. It was a very special time to be filming any projects, especially an international one. Its lasting legacy was the discovery of the local communities’ keenness to be an extra, whatever office they’re from! But also, it was a real way to kick the tires. As a result of Kandahar, whole new teams have been created. Before, if you were visiting AlUla for a production, you would apply for your visas and customs centrally. Now, we do that all for you because we appreciate that’s a process that needs some navigation.
What else is Film AlUla doing to reduce carbon footprints during shoots?
Green generators are being developed so they will ultimately fuel our studios. We’re currently going through a process of green production, whereby our incentive and rebate will in part be about how greenly you conduct yourself on the grounds. Sometimes people need to be incentivized to do things in the right ways.
What are your best-case scenario ambitions — the things that you’re almost scared to say, but are secretly hoping will happen?
A major feature film that does really well in the box office that has a good amount of Saudi crew who are up and coming, who, five years from its release, look back at that Film AlUla blockbuster and see that as the start of their careers. Then what you’re creating is a legacy of resource and filmmakers, which is really what it’s about. Often, it’s great to have the quick wins. But what really matters is, “Is there any actual legacy from what we’re doing?”
Interview edited for length and clarity.
