Saudi Arabia has created a new department to help turn the historic tourism region of AlUla into the backdrop for future Hollywood movies.
According to the official Saudi Press Agency, the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCA) has inaugurated the Film AlUla department to support and facilitate filming in the tourist destination.
“The new department gives the opportunity to discover picturesque filming sites for filmmakers amid the nature of AlUla and its historical monuments,” read a statement carried by SPA on Friday.
The new department will focus initially on supporting and stimulating local productions by working with several government agencies in the field of filming and producing films in AlUla, as a part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Several international producers have also expressed their interest in exploring AlUla as a destination for their films while a film produced by Hollywood will be announced soon, the statement added.
Two Saudi-produced movies will be filmed soon in AlUla called Bayn Al-Rimal and Noura.
Saudi Arabia’s move to attract the film industry to AlUla comes as over 12 million cinema tickets have been sold in the country since a suspension was lifted three years ago – that’s despite enforced closures throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
Since the ban was lifted by the General Authority for Audiovisual Media back in 2018, 34 cinemas have opened in 12 cities within six administrative regions in the kingdom.
There has been the addition of 342 screens and more than 35,000 seats, and 11 companies specialised in cinema operation are working across the country, including nine international companies licensed.
The Film AlUla announcement follows the unveiling of the inaugural masterplan for the development of AlUla in the northwest of Saudi Arabia.
Conceived as a living museum, the plan includes 15 new cultural assets, a 9km rejuvenated cultural oasis, 10 million square metres of green and open spaces and a 46km low-carbon tramway, while contributing to AlUla’s hospitality offer with 5,000 additional hotel keys.
Named The Journey Through Time Masterplan, the 15-year programme will be implemented in three phases until 2035 with the first phase set to be finished by 2023.
Once entirely complete in 2035, it is anticipated that the development will boost the population of AlUla to 130,000 and created 38,000 jobs, while contributing SR120 billion ($32 billion) to the kingdom’s GDP.
Located 1,100km from Riyadh, AlUla covers 22,561 sq km and includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.
The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage site. A 52-hectare ancient city, Hegra was the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and is comprised of more than 100 well preserved tombs with elaborate facades cut out of the sandstone outcrops surrounding the walled urban settlement.
Current research also suggests Hegra was the most southern outpost of the Roman Empire after conquering the Nabataeans.
In addition to Hegra, AlUla is home to historical and archaeological sites such as Ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms; thousands of ancient rock art sites and inscriptions at Jabal Ikmah; Old Town, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes developed from at least the 12th century; and Hijaz Railway and Hegra Fort, key sites in the story and conquests of Lawrence of Arabia.
RCU was established by royal decree in July 2017 to protect and safeguard AlUla and it is embarking on a long-term plan to develop and deliver a sustainable transformation of the region.
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