Netflix has previewed a selection of upcoming films and shows aimed at the Arab world, hailing from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan.
The global platform has been steadily expanding into the Middle East and North Africa since 2015, despite stiff competition from local players such as MBC’s Shahid VIP and Starzplay.
The announcement comes just a month after a group of Gulf countries threatened Netflix with legal action if the platform doesn’t remove content it says contradicts Islamic values.
Netflix has not commented on the threats in the Gulf and appears undeterred by its foray into the region and its content targeting the Arab world.
“Netflix will continue to expand its investments in the region, bringing authentic stories and talent from the Arab world to the forefront of the global entertainment industry,” the platform said.
The new productions, which are mainly due to start in 2023, include a Saudi Arabian feature film alchallate+a satirical suspense film based on the hit online show alchallatewhich was first released in 2017 and received more than 1.5 billion views on YouTube and social media.
The feature film is one of the first productions to enter the pipeline under an eight-picture deal with up-and-coming Saudi Arabian studio Telfaz11, signed in November 2020.
“The film will feature four exciting comeback stories of social deception and tricks in four unlikely locations, bringing to life the best of this beloved Saudi show,” Netflix said.
Fahad Alammari heads a company that includes stand-up comedian Fahad Albutairi, actors Suhaib Godus and Ismail Alhassan, best known for their performances in The Sun of Gnosis; and influencer and actor Ziyad Alamri.
Netflix also announced a second Telfaz11 feature, The matchmaker by director Abdulmohsen Aldhabaan, his debut film Last visit (2019) played in Karlovy Vary and Marrakesh.
Touted as a psychological thriller with a supernatural twist, the film is set against the rugged desert landscape of the AlUla World Heritage Site. The cast consists of Hussam Alharthy, Reem AlHabib and Nour Alkhadra.
The panel also included the eight-part Arabic docu-soap dubai bling, which launches worldwide on October 27th.
The show follows the lives of 10 self-made wealthy people in Dubai, including Australian radio host Kris Fade and his wife Brianna Ramirez, Saudi TV presenter and actress Lojain Omran, and Emirati DJ Marwan Al Awady and his wife Danya Mohammed.
Netflix also unveiled one of its first Kuwaiti productions The exchange. Set in Kuwait in 1988, the drama follows two women who prevail in the Kuwait Stock Exchange’s boys’ club on the eve of Saddam Hussein’s invasion of the country.
The drama was conceived and written by famed TV presenter, actress and activist Nadia Ahmad, starring Anne and Adam Sobel, and directed by Egyptian director Karim Elshenawy and Kuwaiti filmmaker Jasem AlMuhanna.
The cast includes popular local actors Rawan Mahdi, Mona Hussain, Hussain alMahdi, Mohamed Mansour, Faisal alAmiri, Jasem alNabhan, Maryam Salih, Asmahan Tawfiq and Abdullah Bahman.
The tablet also includes the second animated season Masameer Countya youth-focused show chronicling the rapidly changing face of Saudi Arabia and tackling formerly taboo subjects with humor.
It is the first production to emerge from a five-year exclusive deal between Saudi animation studio Myrkott and Netflix.
These new shows follow Saudi director Hana Al Omir’s psychological thriller whispersJordanian high school drama Al Rawabi School for Girlsand find Olastarring Tunisian-Egyptian star Hend Sabry as a newly divorced single mom who embarks on a personal journey of discovery.
Non-fiction hits in the region included an unscripted Arabic reality show The fastest, and archaeological documentary, Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb which was viewed by 22 million households in the first week after launch