Training Fuels Saudi Arabia’s Film Industry

Few things come more naturally to Saudis than storytelling. A conversation over coffee, a late-night majlis, or a phone call that stretches well beyond its original intent—talking, sharing, and narrating are second nature. But where words once sufficed, stories are now finding their way onto screens, shaped with structure, intention, and craft.

The Red Sea Labs – The Lodge workshops tap into this shift. Held in Jeddah in partnership with TorinoFilmLab this month, the program is designed to support emerging filmmakers from Saudi Arabia, the Arab world, Asia, and Africa. It offers more than just technical training in directing, cinematography, and editing. Participants, selected through a competitive process, receive mentorship from international experts across various aspects of filmmaking, from script development to post-production.

This year, the program includes five workshops: the first exclusively for Saudi teams, while the remaining four are open to all selected projects. The journey culminates at the Red Sea Souk during the Red Sea International Film Festival, where participants pitch their projects for a chance to secure production grants. In a rapidly evolving society, cinema has become a means of capturing change, voicing perspectives, and reshaping how Saudis see themselves and how the world sees them.

At this level, storytelling is more than creativity or cultural tradition—it’s precision, awareness, and the ability to turn everyday life into something worth watching. As Saudi Arabia’s film industry grows, it is giving society a powerful tool to tell its own story—not just in words, but in images, voices, and moments on screen. Movies and cinema are becoming one of the most effective ways for Saudis to communicate with the world.

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