NEOM’s new Media Village and Bajdah Desert Studios will likely help increase the chances of an Arabic language film winning an Oscar, the media and culture chief at the futuristic development said.
NEOM officially launched its Media Village and Bajdah Desert Studios on Wednesday, which together comprise the largest sound stages and film production support facilities in the country – and have already helped support around 25 productions over the last 18 months.
When asked on the likely effect the launch will have on the long-term chance of an Arabic film winning an Oscar at the Academy Awards, Wayne Borg, Managing Director for Media Industries, Entertainment and Culture at NEOM said:
“I would hope so. At the end of the day, it will come down to the story tellers and the film makers, but putting in place all the right conditions, why shouldn’t there be?”
Borg noted that countries with much smaller populations have already been able to succeed in winning Oscars – pointing to the Korean psychological thriller Parasite’s four awards at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020 for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film as a model to be replicated.
NEOM’s Media Village and Bajdah Desert Studios were built with an integrated approach in mind, offering infrastructure as a service.
“This is an important milestone in realizing our aim of becoming the epicenter of the regional media industry,” Borg explained.
While the two developments officially launched on Wednesday, the final location for NEOM’s Media Village will be on The Line, a futuristic 170-kilometre-long city, unveiled earlier this year.
Development of the media industry is one of the focal points of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan. Borg noted that “vital role” that the media sector plays in job creation and innovation. In the Middle East, however, the media industry has a history of fragmentation, with the region “not punching where we should be,” he said.
“That comes back in part to this fragmented nature the industry has had over the past few decades … a lack of a focal point for industry and practices,” – one challenge that the two locations are aimed at overcoming.
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