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Exclusive: AGC International has acquired international rights to Spooky Pictures and Image Nation’s psychological horror-thriller The Vile by Emirati director Majid Al Ansari, with the partners also unveiling a first teaser trailer for the film.

Emirati actress Bdoor Mohammad stars as devoted wife and mother Amani, whose life begins to unravel when her husband returns home with a second wife and an unseen darkness infiltrates her life.

Majid Al Futtaim – Vox Independent Distribution is distributing the film theatrically in the UAE and has set an October 30 release date for the territory. Film Clinic is handling the rights for post-theatrical in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena).

The Vile breaks fresh ground as the first Emirati Arabic-language feature to come to fruition under the multi-picture slate partnership between Spooky Pictures, the L.A.-based genre label co-founded and run by Roy Lee and Steven Schneider – and Abu-Dhabi-based Image Nation.

Previous collaborations include Charlie Polinger’s The Plague starring Joel Edgerton, which premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard in May; Randall Okita’s Menace starring Isabel May, and Damian Mc Carthy’s Hokum starring Adam Scott.

The movie’s cast also features Saudi artist and filmmaker Sarah Taibah as Zahra, the enigmatic new wife and rising talent Iman Doghoz as Amani’s vulnerable daughter.

Al Ansari has been a trailblazer in the Emirates throughout his career. His first feature Zinzana (aka Rattle The Cage) – starring Saleh Bakri as a prisoner in a remote jail who finds himself at the mercy of a violent and corrupt police officer played by Ali Suliman – won international acclaim and became the first Arab language film acquired by Netflix.

His new movie blends supernatural tension with culturally grounded storytelling to offer a uniquely regional take on universal fears, through a story about family bonds, emotional conflict and testing unseen forces.

“The Vile is a bold and compelling film that demonstrates the power of local storytelling on a global stage. We’re proud to work with Majid Al Ansari once again and to bring forward a genre film that challenges, disturbs and deeply moves,” said Image Nation CEO Ben Ross.

The movie is produced by Lee and Schneider under their Spooky Pictures banner, and Rami Yasin (Hokum), with Film Clinic founder Mohamed Hefzy on board as Executive Producer.

“The Vile is exactly the kind of film we love to champion at Spooky Pictures – intimate, unnerving, and emotionally rich,” said Schneider.

“Majid Al Ansari has crafted a story that’s both deeply rooted in its cultural context and universally haunting. We’re excited to be part of a project that pushes the boundaries of psychological horror while introducing audiences to a powerful up and coming voice in genre filmmaking.”

Al Ansari added: “I wanted to tell a story that feels both intimate and unsettling; one that explores real emotional experiences through the lens of genre. It’s about love, fear and resilience, and what happens when the familiar turns unfamiliar, when the people we trust most begin to feel like strangers.”...

Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy, CEO of Cairo-based production company Film Clinic, received the Variety International Vanguard Producer Award at the Red Sea Film Festival on Dec. 9, prior to the screening of his black and white silent film “Abdo & Saneya.”

Hefzy has just launched a Film Clinic outlet in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, and production is ramping up in the kingdom. Recent projects with Saudi Arabia include the Saudi-set adventure movie “Hajjan,” which had its world premiere at Toronto.

Film Clinic is one of Egypt’s biggest production houses and has played a key role in supporting emerging and independent talent, including Hani Khalifa’s recent thriller “Flight 404.” Egypt’s candidate for the 2025 International Feature Oscar, the film grossed over $4 million in Saudi Arabia alone.

Film Clinic has six films at Red Sea this year, including three in official competition: Khaled Mansour’s “Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo,” Mahdi Fleifel...

Prominent Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy is branching out into Saudi Arabia by setting up an outpost of his prolific Film Clinic shingle – which has six titles at Saudi’s Red Sea Film Festival – in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

The milestone move comes after Hefzy has been busy forging rapports with Saudi’s film community on a number of projects including Egyptian director Abu Bakr Shawky’s high-end Saudi-set adventure movie “Hajjan” – which had its regional premiere at Red Sea last year after launching from Toronto. “Hajjan” was produced by Film Clinic in tandem with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, known as Ithra.

“This is something that’s been in the cards for a couple of years,” Hefzy told Variety. He added that though Film Clinic’s Saudi base will be in Riyadh, the idea is to be active throughout the entire kingdom. “We’re talking about Riyadh.

Saudi romantic comedy A Matter Of Life And Death from acclaimed Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy is set to begin shooting in the region next month.

The feature will reunite writer and star Sarah Taibah with director Anas Ba-Tahaf, who previously worked together on groundbreaking TV series Jameel Jeddan. Filming is set to begin in Jeddah on January 18.

Taibah will play a superstitious young woman who is convinced she’s cursed while Yaqoub Alfarhan, of Cannes 2024 title Norah, plays a shy heart surgeon. When fate brings them together they find unexpected connections.

Hefzy’s Film Clinic and Front Row Productions have...

Film Clinic and Front Row Productions have teamed up with Arabia Pictures Group and Rotana Studios to produce the offbeat Saudi rom-com A Matter of Life and Death, written by Sarah Taibah (last year’s Red Sea International Film Festival opening film Hwjn, Jameel Jeddan) and directed by Anas Ba-Tahaf (Fay’s Palette, Jameel Jeddan).

Starring Taibah (Mandoob, Jameel Jeddan) and Yaqoub Alfarhan (Norah, Rashash and the upcoming AlGhaid), the film is “a quirky tale involving Hayat, a superstitious young woman who is convinced she’s cursed, and Yousef, a shy heart surgeon dealing with a bafflingly slow heartbeat,” according to a synopsis. “Their fates collide in the most peculiar way: she’s wishing for an end, while he’s wrestling with even darker thoughts.”

The creatives promise “a rollercoaster journey through love, destiny, and the surprising connections

that can sprout from life’s craziest twists all told through the...

Long-time collaborators Cairo-based Film Clinic and Dubai-based Front Row Productions are joining forces with Saudi Arabian companies Arabia Pictures Group and Rotana Studios to produce local rom-com A Matter of Life and Death.

The Jeddah-shot feature will revolve around the romance between two unconventional characters: Hayat, a superstitious young woman who is convinced she’s cursed, and Yousef, a shy heart surgeon dealing with a bafflingly slow heartbeat. Their fates collide as she is wishing for an end, while he is wrestling with even darker thoughts.

The feature will be directed by Anas Ba-Tahaf, whose 2021 drama Fay’s Palette, about a girl cloistered in her home by a controlling brother, was one of the first Saudi features to be made following the lifting of the country’s 35-year cinema ban in 2017.

Writer and actor Sarah Taibah, who took co-writing credits on Saudi fantasy drama Hwjn, is lead writer. She and...

Exclusive: Saudi director Ali Kalthami’s indie thriller Night Courier (Mandoob) has drawn 605,000 spectators at home for a $7.5M box office gross following its release last December, in a first for a homegrown indie thriller in the territory.

The movie is the latest production from Riyadh-based Telfaz11, which broke Saudi box office records last year with the more mainstream freestyle wrestling comedy Sattar. That film sold close to 1M tickets for a $11 million gross at home.

Night Courier is the first feature from Telfaz11 co-founder Kalthami, who first achieved fame for his viral YouTube videos which racked up billions of views ahead of the lifting of Saudi’s 35-year cinema ban in 2017.

“Mandoob has not only shattered records but has also introduced a new genre to the Saudi box office landscape. The overwhelming support from our audience demonstrates a growing appetite for diverse narratives and storytelling style,” said Kalthami.

“This...

Stuart Ford’s AGC International has picked up world rights to two Arab-produced titles, Hwjn by Yasir Al-Yasiri and To My Son by Dhafer L’abidine, ahead of their debuts at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival.

AGC nabbed Hwjn, which opens Red Sea this evening, from Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Mbc Studios, and Vox Studios. To My Son was acquired from O3 Medya and L’Abidine’s Double A Productions.

Adapted from the best-selling Young Adult fantasy novel by Ibraheem Abbas, Hwjn combines Arabian folklore elements of fantasy, blended with modern themes. Set in modern-day Jeddah, Hwjn follows the story of a kind-hearted jinn as he discovers the truth about his royal lineage. Synopsis reads: Hwjn (Baraa Alem) sets off on an epic journey to reclaim his birthright, and while battling ancient evils to maintain the harmonious balance between his world and ours, falls in love with Sawsan (Nour Alkhadra), a young medical student.

AGC Intl., the international sales and distribution arm of Stuart Ford’s fast-growing independent content studio AGC Studios, has picked up world rights from Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Mbc Studios and Vox Studios on Yasir Al Yasiri’s “Hwjn,” and from O3 Medya and Dhafer L’Abidine’s Double A Productions on L’Abidine’s “To My Son.”

Saudi fantasy romance ‘Hwjn’ will open the Red Sea Film Festival on Nov. 30, while the emotional family drama “To My Son” will premiere in Red Sea’s Arab Spectacular section.

The deals mark another significant step in AGC Studios’ drive to bringing theatrical features from the Middle East and North Africa region to global audiences. AGC has partnered with Image Nation Abu Dhabi on Arabic blockbusters “Al Kameen” and “Voy! Voy! Voy!” (with Vox), Egypt’s box-office juggernaut and selection for Academy Award consideration for best international feature. AGC is also partnered...

Deal furthers AGC Studios’ commitment to championing Mena region theatrical features.

AGC International has acquired world sales rights to Hwjn and To My Son on the eve of their world premieres at Red Sea International Film Festival.

Iraqi filmmaker Yasir Al Yasiri’s Saudi fantasy romance Hwjn from Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Mbc Studios and Vox Studios will open the festival today (November 30) and is adapted from the YA novel by Ibraheem Abbas.

The feature combines Arabian folklore elements with contemporary themes and takes place in modern-day Jeddah as the kind-hearted titular jinn (Baraa Alem) discovers the truth about his...

Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival will open its third edition, running from November 30 to December 9, with local movie Hwjn, a fantasy romance combining Arabian folklore with modern themes that unfolds against the backdrop of the event’s home of Jeddah.

Deadline exclusively revealed a trailer for the production earlier this year. Watch it here.

The choice of a Saudi movie marks a break with Red Sea’s first two editions – which kicked off with English-language features Cyrano and What’s Love Got To Do With It? in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

Hwjn is the most ambitious production to date to come out of a partnership between major Gulf players Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Vox Studios and Mbc Studios first announced in Cannes in 2019.

“Opening the festival with a highly anticipated film like Hwjn is a momentous event,” Rsiff Arab Programs & Film Classics Director Antoine Khalife said of the opening night honor,...

Story of a kind-hearted jinn is a co-production from Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Mbc Studios and Vox Studios.

Red Sea International Film Festival has set the world premiere of Saudi feature Hwjn, directed by Yasir Al Yasiri, as its opening-night gala on November 30.

Adapted from the young adult fantasy novel by Ibraheem Abbas, Hwjn combines elements of Arabian folklore with modern themes.

A co-production from leading regional players Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Mbc Studios and Vox Studios, Hwjn is set in modern-day Jeddah and follows the story of a kind-hearted jinn. As he discovers the truth about his royal lineage,...

The Red Sea International Film Festival will open with a local Saudi Arabian film for the first time, with Yasir Al Yasiri’s fantasy romance Hwjn set to raise the curtain on the third edition of the Jeddah event on Nov. 30.

Adapted from the best-selling young adult fantasy novel by Ibraheem Abbas, Hwjn blends Arabian folklore and modern themes for a story set in modern-day Jeddah and follows a kind-hearted jinn (Baraa Alem) on an epic journey to reclaim his birthright. Along the way, he meets and develops an unexpected romantic connection with Sawsan (Nour Alkhadra), a young medical student. Hwjn, which had already been announced as screening at the festival in the Arab Spectacular section, is one of the biggest projects to date under a 2018 production partnership between regional giants Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Mbc Studios and Vox Studios.

“The story of Hwjn is an epic tale of romance,...

Six Saudi talents with new or upcoming projects.

For a country that only reopened cinemas five years ago, Saudi Arabia can certainly boast more than its fair share of film making talents, be it in front or behind the camera. Here we highlight two directors, two actors and two filmmaking sisters with current or upcoming projects.

Aisha Al Rifaie, actress VHS Tape Replaced

This actress first appeared on the big screen in Faiza Ambah’s mother son story Nour Shams. The short film was produced by Oscar-nominated Palestinian filmmaker Basil Khalil and for her touching performance Al Rifaie won a...

Six Saudi talents with new or upcoming projects.

For a country that only reopened cinemas five years ago, Saudi Arabia can certainly boast more than its fair share of film making talents, be it in front or behind the camera. Here we highlight two directors, two actors and two filmmaking sisters with current or upcoming projects.

Aisha Al Rifaie, actress VHS Tape Replaced

This actress first appeared on the big screen in Faiza Ambah’s mother son story Nour Shams. The short film was produced by Oscar-nominated Palestinian filmmaker Basil Khalil and for her touching performance Al Rifaie won a...

Six Saudi talents with new or upcoming projects.

For a country that only reopened cinemas five years ago, Saudi Arabia can certainly boast more than its fair share of film making talents, be it in front or behind the camera. Here we highlight two directors, two actors and two filmmaking sisters with current or upcoming projects.

Aisha Al Rifaie, actress VHS Tape Replaced

This Saudi-born actress first appeared on the big screen in Faiza Ambah’s mother son story Nour Shams. The short film was produced by Oscar-nominated Palestinian filmmaker Basil Khalil and for her touching performance Al Rifaie won...