MBC Studios recently wrapped up filming ‘Desert Warrior’, starring US actor Anthony Mackie and Saudi-British actor Aisha Hart, filmed in the Saudi cities of Neom and Tabuk and slated to release later this year.
In Saudi Arabia, also started filming the new Hollywood movie Kandahar, starring Gerard Butler, in Al-Ula and Jeddah to follow up on MBC’s plan and dedicate its production efforts to creating local and international cinematic productions based in Saudi Arabia.
These projects bring investments to Saudi human resources and infrastructure, and aim to put the region as a whole on the map of global productions.
Kanadahar is directed by Ric Roman Waugh, and co-produced by the US-based Capstone Entertainment Group alongside MBC Studios, while Desert Warrior is co-produced by JB Pictures and AGC Studios and directed by Robert Wyatt.
Both Desert Warrior and Kandahar provided job opportunities for more than 850 local technicians in Saudi Arabia filming period, in addition to hundreds of supporting and secondary roles in which more than 425 Saudi actors participated.
About 214 Saudi and local contracting companies were appointed to complete artistic, technical, logistical work on the films.
In parallel, housing occupancy for the crews of the two films reached 32 hotels between Neom, Tabuk, Al-Ula, Jeddah and Riyadh, in addition to dozens of hotel and furnished housing units – all in addition to providing hundreds of job opportunities for local residents who were contracted daily by suppliers.
The filming of Kandahar is currently taking place in the Al-Ula region, classified by UNESCO as part of the World Heritage Map.
The events of the film revolve around a secret CIA agent whose identity is revealed and he finds himself being chased and stuck in the heart of the city of Kandahar. He begins his journey to escape from the city through the desert and the surrounding mountains, taking advantage of his network of relationships and his military and field experience.
The film’s story was written by Michelle Lafortune, a former intelligence officer who based the film on his experiences in Afghanistan.
