Yes, we Cannes: AlAula showcases its movie magic

New film agency for the Kingdom’s heritage jewel makes its debut at world’s most glamorous festival

There was a new kid on the block when the world’s most glamorous movie festival opened on Tuesday — Film AlUla, the Royal Commission for AlUla’s newly established film agency.

A delegation from the agency arrived at the Cannes Film Festival in the south of France to promote international movie and TV production in AlUla, the region of outstanding natural and cultural significance in northwest Saudi Arabia.

“Our objective … is to connect with the international film industry to introduce AlUla as a truly unique and exciting film destination, now open for international production,” said Stephen Strachan, film commissioner at the Royal Commission for AlUla.

“The festival is the perfect platform to boost the development of the film-friendly ecosystem within the country, highlight the young pool of talent and experienced crew, and showcase this region of outstanding natural beauty and cultural significance, which set it apart as a truly dynamic filming destination.”

The AlUla terrain features breathtaking rock formations, volcanic craters, luscious oases, untouched wilderness, diverse wildlife, microclimates and vast sandstone canyons.

Its extraordinary landscape is the perfect backdrop for a wide range of movie genres and settings, such as historical epics, fantasy adventures, extraterrestrial worlds and dramatic war movies, and it can stand in for an array of different locations, countries, cities and time periods. It is already attracting filmmakers, and will soon host the action thriller “Kandahar,” directed by Ric Roman Waugh and starring Gerard Butler.

Film AlUla has also launched new facilities that can accommodate

150 film crew and include production offices, recreational facilities and an outdoor cinema.