Written by Kianna Best on Jul 20, 2023. Posted in Interviews

An Interview with Film AlUla executive director Charlene Deleon-Jones

Only three years old, Film AlUla are new to the audiovisual world, developing their infrastructure and making a name for themselves in the industry. But with projects rolling in from international filmmakers to promoting their local talents, the Saudi region are putting their best foot forward. At the helm, executive director of Film AlUla Charlene Deleon-Jones spoke to The Location Guide to share her experiences working with the new creative hub, the challenges and successes faced thus far, and what exciting things are on the horizon.

 

Please tell us a about your role at Film AlUla & what led you to AlUla?

I began consulting with Film AlUla a number of years ago, and was immediately blown away by the drive of the team to grow this flourishing industry and support the region. I came on board as the Executive Director with responsibility for guiding and scaling the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) 's film agency, and driving the strategy to build a sustainable film ecosystem while also positioning AlUla as a global film destination.

 

I’m a passionate advocate of creating sustained economic impact and skill development, so an important part of my role is the development of new, state-of-the-art film and TV studios, so we are able to host productions, share learnings with local crews, and bring even more projects to AlUla.

 

I started my career in the not-for-profit sector before becoming a financial services consultant at Accenture. With 20 years of experience working with multinational and government organisations across EMEA and MENA, I specialised in collaborating with teams and individuals going through rapid change, including leading cross-sector organisational, policy, and operational transformation.

 

As a relatively new region in the film industry, what has the process been like developing AlUla to make its presence known in the screen sector?

Since the launch of Film AlUla in 2020, it has been important for us to spread the word that we are open for business and can accommodate projects of all types. In film, we’ve had everything from large-scale international productions, such as Kandahar and Cherry, to local Saudi productions, such as Norah. We’ve also played host to many TV productions, including the British series Expedition with Steve Backshall and a few Nat Geo documentaries, along with commercials, promos, photo shoots and short films. We have a number of productions currently in the works, including high-profile productions from Hollywood, Bollywood and South Korea.

 

Equally as important as publicising AlUla’s incredible locations, is ensuring we are building the infrastructure to support productions across the board. We have worked hard to ensure we have a team of experienced industry professionals and crews in place, as well as providing important training to further develop the skills base we have here.

 

 

Beyond the locations, how is AlUla enticing international filmmakers?

Alongside the breathtaking scenery and the untouched locations, we offer a number of additional incentives for filmmakers. In Saudi, we have a competitive 40% cash rebate programme, and the expert team at Film AlUla are on hand to discuss and support applications for the financial incentives as well as providing production assistance, including location scouting, filming permits, introductions to a pipeline of companies, services, and local talent along with accommodation and visa support. We work with projects and teams to ensure they have all of their production and crew’s needs met, and are able to achieve their best work in AlUla.

 

Alongside financial incentives and production support, we have also launched a number of initiatives to support the growing film-friendly ecosystem, to ensure we have a growing pool of local expertise to offer. For example, we recently partnered with the UK’s industry-led Creative Media Skills Institute to host a 10-day hands-on boot camp led by award-winning film professionals to pass on their invaluable knowledge and expertise to a new generation of local filmmakers.

 

Kandahar is the most recent international project to shoot in AlUla. What was the experience of catering to this production?

Our experience working with the team behind Kandahar was fantastic. We worked closely with them to ensure everything was in place for the shoot to run smoothly, even with the added complication of COVID restrictions at the time. The film used a lot of local extras and crew on the production, helping support the local industry to train alongside established crews. We recently held a screening in AlUla for everyone locally who was involved in the film and one of stars, Ali Fazal, attended, sharing his experiences of filming in AlUla and reconnecting with everyone he met and worked with - which was a very special milestone for us.

 

“I remember talking to Rick before the production started over Zoom and he was talking about the desert and how beautiful it was. When I moved from Iran to Sweden when I was three years old, be passed through Iraq do I had seen desert and my thought of it was just sand. But when I got to Alula, it was nothing like I’ve experiences before in my entire life. I never knew the desert could be that beautiful. Those desert shots were crucial for the movie and it was the strongest foundation for the story."

- Bahador Foladi, actor from Kandahar

 

 

Was there anything new that you learnt this time around that you hadn't dealt with on past productions?

Every project has new challenges and learning experiences and the more we work through, the more prepared we are for every eventuality and the better equipped we are for future projects. As we host more diverse productions, for example Netflix’s Matchmaker to a big screen action adventure like Kandahar, we have also learned to adapt to the requirements.

 

Anthony and Joe Russo's Cherry also filmed in AlUla a couple years ago. With the general action style battle narratives that rely on the desert and traditional architectures of the region, how do you promote the diverse genre potential of filming in Alula?

The projects that have filmed in AlUla so far have been a wide range of styles and genres, showcasing the versatility our locations can offer. The pristine sweeping vistas are the perfect backdrop for historical epics, fantasy adventures, extra-terrestrial worlds, and dramatic war movies, and can stand in for an array of different locations, countries, cities and periods in time.

 

You will be able to see this in play with the Bollywood and South Korean productions that are coming in, in addition to the TV and film productions coming from the US, UK and from within the region. In addition, the soundstages we are developing will also provide an opportunity for productions to shoot additional content with the freedom of building their own set and world, for either part of the project or for the entirety of it.

 

 

How does Alula value collaborations with organisations across Saudi Arabia and the Middle East in creating a fully fleshed out filming eco system in the region?

Our collaborations within the film and TV industry in Saudi Arabia are extremely important to us. We work closely with the Red Sea International Film Festival, and this year we will be teaming up with them on the Red Sea Fund to provide grants and production support for at least 10 projects from Saudi Arabia, the Arab regions and Africa. We also work with the Saudi Film Festival, as well as a number of regional film and arts institutions and schools, for participation in our workshop opportunities and AlUla Creates Initiative.

 

In the business of production, how do you encourage international screen sector professionals to contribute to the development of the local workforce?

With all of our productions, we encourage them to utilize local crews or provide shadowing opportunities when in production in AlUla. Every effort is made to include apprenticeship programmes in productions shot in AlUla. We’ve been heartened to see the support for this from our hosted productions and value the exchange of knowledge and skills we’re able to facilitate.

 

 

With Cannes behind you, and an assertive stance in the film industry, what is next for film AlUla?

Our first studios will be opening later this year, and we are already fully booked from opening well into 2024. We look forward to welcoming a number of exciting local and international productions we can hopefully talk about soon, and having a presence at major industry events including Venice Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, MIPCOM, AFM, Mumbai Film Festival and the Red Sea International Film Festival.