Sleeping beast of Saudi cinema rises from the ashes thanks to Netflix triumphs
▶ Young actors help films to soar on global charts,
Netflix original From the Ashes, which first aired last month, is the most globally resonant film that Saudi Arabia has produced since launching its industry, data reveals.
In its first weeks of release, the movie reached the Netflix non-English top 10 films list in 37 countries worldwide, doing particularly well in Latin America. In its second week, the film trended across Mexico, and nearly all of Central and South America.
The film has also reached weekly top 10 lists in Jamaica, Luxembourg, Spain, Egypt, Nigeria and Trinidad and Tobago, proving its popularity across five continents.
In 18 days of being live, it accumulated 7.6 million views and 11.6 million hours viewed. It outpaces the platform’s other hits from the kingdom, according to public records.
From the Ashes was made by Saudi director Khalid Fahad, who also directed last year’s theatrical release Valley Road, a family adventure film.
It is a murder mystery based on the real-life tragedy of an all-girls school caught in a fatal fire. It is led by an excellent young female cast.
Speaking to The National about this year’s success story, Fahad says: “I think people around the world want to see Saudi culture.”
He adds: “These stories come from our hidden culture. Many people don’t know what our lives are like here, so the basic stories about our regular life or what’s happened to us before now is something people want to know. This proves that there’s a global curiosity to know about our culture, about our stories, about our people.”
Fahad has been amazed by the attention he has received, with people reaching out to him worldwide. “I had someone from South Korea telling me he watched it and heard people talking about it, and have heard the same from friends in Spain,” he says.
“It also shows the power of Netflix, much like La Casa de Papel [aka Money Heist] went far beyond Spain.
“I’ve learnt a lot from this experience. People don’t just want stories that are related to them, and their local audience isn’t as insular as they think. People want to learn about different people and hear new stories. That makes me so happy because, in Saudi Arabia, we still have lots of stories to tell to the world.”
Faisal Baltyuor, the film’s producer and the former head of the Saudi Film Council (now Saudi Film Commission), says he is also deeply proud of the film’s success, echoing Khalid’s belief that it is its cultural authenticity that has attracted international viewers, as well as its blend of genres.
“I am grateful for all the team’s hard work, including the film crew and cast who made this happen, and Netflix for their support,” Baltyuor says. “Having our film on Netflix allowed us to reach a global audience and gave the film a strong push from the beginning.”
It’s been nearly six years since Saudi Arabia announced its intentions to restart its cinema industry and produce home-grown films. Since then, the country has already
I think people around the world want to see Saudi culture ... there’s a global curiosity to know about our stories and people
KHALID FAHAD
Director
introduced global audiences to a wide crop of emerging talent, as well as a growing number of successful projects.
Netflix has been producing original content in the region since the 2019 drama series Jinn, which was set in Jordan, and continues to sharpen its focus in the Gulf.
In the past 12 months alone, the platform has taken advantage of Saudi’s burgeoning cinema industry with original films including Alkhallat+ and Naga. Both were made by the pioneering production company Telfaz11.
The platform also snapped up Head to Head from Sirb Productions, which was made with the team behind the animated hit Masameer. Each has been successful, with all three hitting the Netflix global top 10 for non-English language films. So far, From the Ashes has outpaced each in its first three weeks of release, particularly abroad.
Saudi films have also experienced domestic success at the box office. The comedy Sattar, for example, also from Telfaz11, sold nearly one million tickets last year becoming the third bestselling film in the country’s history, behind Top Gun: Maverick and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
However, that success was not repeated outside of the kingdom, possibly because part of its draw with local viewers was that it contained familiar characters from years of YouTube sketches.
Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda, released in 2012, was a global box office hit at the time, taking in $6.5 million. Its biggest markets were Germany, where it brought in nearly $1.8 million, and the US, where it brought in more than $1.3 million. That film, like From the Ashes, also has a young female cast. Speaking to The National in 2021, Al Mansour highlighted how powerful its film industry has been in empowering Saudi women. “Cinema gave me my voice,” she said. “I grew up in Saudi Arabia at a time when women and culture were not at the centre. Now we are at the centre. It is a new page. We will lead the country.”