The film is based on a true story related to the life of the 6th century warrior and poet Antarathibn Shaddad. Altara, who, despite his imprisonment, won the hearts of the people, is one of the most famous poets in Arabian history.
Shooting in Neom is scheduled for 12 weeks early next year. Bajda Studio in Neom will be the main shooting location. The beautiful Red Sea coast nearby will also be used for filming. Northwest Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea coastline and Neom’s desert and mountains are the backdrop.
Alexander Amartey is the co-producer. Alexander Amartey is a writer and producer known for projects like Killing Eve, Born a King, The Man Who Fell to Earth. Producer Stuart Sutherland is also cashing in.
A 40 per cent discount was announced on Neom for various productions including feature films and TV dramas. Neom will support film production by providing state-of-the-art sound stages, facilities and skilled manpower.
Co-director Simon West stated that bringing Antarathib Shaddad’s story to the big screen and to the masses is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to retell the legend’s life. He opined that the opportunity to make a film in the homeland of the Banu Abbas tribe would be used as an opportunity to do justice to history and help the growing film industry in the region flourish.
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Wayne Borg, Managing Director, Neom Media Industries, Entertainment and Culture, said, “This is a big step towards positioning Neom as the center of the media industry in West Asia and North Africa (MENA). He also pointed out that international film productions like ‘Antara’ are very important to increase employment locally and establish Neom as the center of the media industry in the MENA region.
Many productions have already been completed in Neom and new shoots are underway. MBC’s TV drama series Exceptional and Abdul Aziz Alshlahi’s Saudi film Hobal are filmed here. Currently the shooting of two features is going on. In the coming months, Neom will witness the filming of two reality series and several commercials.
Neom has provided the backdrop for more than 30 productions in the past 18 months, including Rupert Wyatt’s Desert Warrior starring Anthony Mackie and Sir Ben Kingsley. This will include Rajkumar Hirani’s Bollywood feature and TV drama Rise of the Witches starring Shah Rukh Khan.
