Entertainment Desk

At the end of a meandering desert road, between cliffs streaked with red hues and burnt orange sand, sits a pristine, state-of-the art film studio, awaiting its first production. Located in the outskirts of AlUla, a city in northwest Saudi Arabia built more than 2,000 years ago along the Silk Road, the facility is as untouched as the landscapes around it.

But hopefully not for long. As part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan to diversify the desert kingdom’s wealth, AlUla Studios aims to open later this year and anchor a home-grown film industry that’s part of a broader plan to boost economic growth, technological innovation and tourism.

On one side of the AlUla Valley, green-tinted mountains evoke an extraterrestrial existence. On another, ridges of volcanic rock are sprinkled with golden sand and shrub. And at the foot of towering red cliffs, the desert sprawls. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hegra is nearby.

AlUla Studio’s placement at the center of such sweeping vistas is strategic, designed to offer filmmakers “the perfect backdrop for a wide range of filming,” combined with a Hollywood-grade studio — two 25,000-square foot sound stages, a recording studio, warehouses and a full suite of production support spaces, according to Film AlUla, an agency established by the government’s Royal Commission for AlUla.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman lifted a ban on cinemas in 2018 as the first step to setting Saudi Arabia’s film industry in motion and trying to turn the kingdom into a Middle Eastern movie hub. Then came the Red Sea International Film Foundation, whose mission is to showcase the diversity and dynamism of Arab, African and Asian cinema and create a sustainable film ecosystem. The Foundation also sponsors a film festival and an associated fund offering $15 million for productions shot by African or Arab directors.