AlUla: You Haven’t Heard of It. But You Will

At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, during the presentation of the Global Production Awards, film AlUla received two awards—the Emerging Location Award and Film Commission Award—that probably didn’t garner a whole lot of attention outside of AlUla, which Charlene Deleon-Jones, executive director of Film AlUla, described as “the ‘Living Museum’ with 7,000 years of history.

AlUla encompasses the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saudi Arabia, Hegra.

But for all of this ancient history, the government of Saudi Arabia is transforming the AlUla region into one that will have a significant future in the film industry.

Film AlUla, established in 2020, has a singular purpose:

“Film AlUla strives to support the Kingdom’s plans to become a world-class film hub.”

And to that end, it has built out a significant studio infrastructure in the desert, including soundstages, production support buildings, workshops, warehouses, a recording studio, training and rehearsal space, event space, and more.

So far, among the productions that have come out of AlUla are the Russo Brothers’ 2021 film Cherry; the film Kandahar, directed by Ric Roman Waugh, which came out last year, and several small-screen series, including Paper Empire.

Last year Sharon Stone toured AlUla and said of her visit: “Being in AlUla, I find myself in one of the most fascinating and beautiful places I have ever been.” And while Saudi Arabia might not seem exactly a place that one would associate an actress with one of the all-time most-provocative movie scenes, Stone went on to say, “All the things we are told, the negatives, and controversial constructs about the region are untrue. There’s an emerging wave of rights for women, and I have been welcomed so warmly. Their kindness is truly humbling.”

And what is eye-opening about AlUla and the film industry is that the Saudi Film Commission is offering a cash rebate program.

Up to a 40 percent cash rebate.

And while the folks in Hollywood may not give a whole lot of thought to a complex 8,000 miles away that the Saudis are building out with luxury hotels and restaurants such that Travel + Leisure ran a piece on it in September (“This Ancient City Has a Dramatic Desert Landscape, World-class Cuisine, and a Growing Art Scene”), the way things are going in L.A. for the film industry ought to make them perhaps more concerned with the potential of AlUla than the existing challenges of Atlanta, London and Vancouver.

Why?

The 40 percent cash rebate. The “Kingdom’s plans to become a world-class film hub.”

First of all, know that the incentives California offers film making in the state take the form of tax credits. Not cash. And as the maxim has it, “Cash is king.”

In relation to FilmLA’s release of the Q3 2024 performance in terms of shooting days in the town—down 5 percent compared to the same period last year and part of a five-year 36.4 percent decline—the organization’s president Paul Audley said, “California’s film incentive is a proven jobs creator that studies show provides a net positive return on every allocated dollar. What the program lacks is funding and eligibility criteria that reflect the outputs of the industry in 2024.”

What isn’t lacking in Film AlUla? Funding.

Still, the potential of AlUla having a notable effect might seem fanciful. Until one looks at an analogy from the world of sport (and not because Saudi Arabia is the only country that bid for the 2034 World Cup, the world’s most-watched sporting event, and FIFA granted it the series).

Rather, golf.

The PGA, founded in 1916, is to golf what Hollywood is to movies.

In October 2021 the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia established LIV Golf. Its first major event didn’t occur until June 2022.

LIV is to golf what Film AlUla is to movies.

Reportedly, discussions are underway for the PGA and LIV to merge.

The reason? Fundamentally, funding. Which the Saudis are well-positioned to provide.

So how long will it take for AlUla to go from the Emerging Location Award to something more established?

Probably not long.