Helmed by Omar Naim, 'Route 10' is produced by Image Nation Abu Dhabi and MBC Studios.
Independent film distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired the distribution rights for Saudi feature film Route 10, a chase thriller starring Saudi stars Fatima AlBanawi (Al Shak), Baraa Alem (The Book of Sun) and directed by Omar Naim.
The film is set for a wide theatrical release across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and remaining MENA territories on July 28 via Front Row Arabia, a joint-venture between Front Row and homegrown Saudi exhibitor, Muvi Cinemas.
Produced by Image Nation Abu Dhabi and MBC Studios, Route 10 follows the story of siblings Maryam and Nasser who decide to travel from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi by car through the desert road in order to attend their father’s wedding. They end up being chased by an angry stranger in what turns out to be a fight for their lives.
Speaking about the acquisition, Gianluca Chakra, CEO of Front Row, said: “We strongly believe in the potential of Saudi talent and are very eager to promote Saudi and Middle east cinema in general to the region and the world. Route 10 is a tense, incredibly entertaining film and a very unique proposition to the Saudi market. We’re very happy to have teamed up with two pillars of the Arab film industry, Image Nation Abu Dhabi and MBC Studios, and we believe that this is the first step in a long-term partnership that will ensure the proper release and promotion of Saudi and Arab films in the region.”
The deal was negotiated between Gianluca Chakra and Eli Touma from Front Row, Ben Ross from Image Nation and Stewart Till from MBC Studios.
Front Row reached global audiences with the success of the Arabic language remake of Perfect Strangers, which became the first Arabic language Netflix original. Accordingly, Front Row struck a first-look deal on all their feature film productions with Netflix.
