NEOM, Telfaz11 sign partnership to produce nine shows and three films

NEOM, one of Saudi Arabia’s upcoming giga project and Middle East-based studio, TELFAZ11 have announced a tie-up to produce up to nine TV and film projects within the next three years.

As part of the agreement, two feature films and one series which are currently under development will be included in the overall deal. The announcement follows TELFAZ11’s successes, including the recent release “Sattar,” which has become the highest-grossing Saudi film to date.

A statement after the announcement of the partnership said, TELFAZ11 plans to establish a physical presence within NEOM by opening offices in the project’s media hub. These new offices, along with TELFAZ11’s existing locations in Riyadh and Dubai, will support NEOM’s industry learning activities and talent development programmes.

This collaboration aims to accelerate the growth of NEOM’s media industry ecosystem, ensuring a flow of productions.

Wayne Borg, managing-director of Media Industries, Entertainment, and Culture at NEOM, said, “The goal of establishing a world-class media hub at NEOM that supports the region’s industry in competing and succeeding on a global scale. The partnership with TELFAZ11 complements NEOM’s infrastructure, crew depth, industry learning programs, and competitive incentive schemes, driving them closer to achieving their objectives.”

NEOM has already hosted 30 productions in the past 18 months, including notable projects like ‘Desert Warrior,’ directed by Rupert Wyatt and featuring Anthony Mackie and Sir Ben Kingsley, ‘Dunki,’ directed by Rajkumar Hirani and starring Shahrukh Khan, and ‘Within Sand,’ a critically acclaimed Saudi feature directed by Moe Alatawi.

NEOM also hosted the first regional reality TV show, ‘Million Dollar Island,’ and ‘Rise of The Witches,’ the region’s most expansive TV show to date. The upcoming TV drama series ‘Exceptional’ by MBC, consisting of 200 episodes per year, is also set to commence filming in July.

Alaa Faden, ceo and co-founder of TELFAZ11, said, “We couldn’t be more honoured to be at the center of Neom’s next-generation media and entertainment ecosystem. Telfaz11 has consistently operated on the leading edge of innovation, from launching the first Netflix partnership in the region to leveraging our powerful social media presence. And this new partnership with Neom is yet another milestone in that effort.”

NEOM – the futuristic giga project

Announced in 2017, NEOM is the crown jewel of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s programme to overhaul the economy of the world’s largest oil exporter. The project includes Sindalah, the first luxury island destination of the $500bn futuristic city and one of the most important projects supporting the kingdom’s national tourism strategy in December 2022. Other construction projects include THE LINE, a zero-carbon city that is being built across 170 kilometres Red Sea coastal plain. The city forms part of development work already underway at NEOM and seeks to create 380,000 jobs and contribute $48bn to the GDP by 2030.