Image Nation Abu Dhabi has begun production in Saudi Arabia on "No Kitchen Required" - a TV series that follows five regional chefs as they learn to cook traditional food in the wilderness.
Image Nation Abu Dhabi has begun production in Saudi Arabia on No Kitchen Required– a TV series that follows five regional chefs as they learn to cook traditional food in the wilderness. The production will shoot across the Kingdom, including Abha, Al-Ghamma and Haiel, and features two Saudi national chefs – Khaled Aref and Bader Fayez.
For the production of No Kitchen Required, Image Nation has collaborated with Emmy award-winning producer Marc Lorber. Lorber has previously worked on several programmes with Image Nation – including Beyond Borders and an upcoming Quest Arabiyas series on fishing. Together with Lorber, 50 regional crew will be working on location in Saudi Arabia this month and will be returning regularly to the Kingdom to shoot other upcoming programmes.
The series, which is an international BBC format to be adapted for local audiences will run on Quest Arabiya an Arabic-language factual entertainment channel.
Commenting on the new programme, Khalid Khouri, General Manager at Quest Arabiya, said: Quest Arabiya reaches millions of households in the Arab world and has a well-deserved reputation for offering the dynamic, adrenaline-fuelled entertainment that regional audiences love. No Kitchen Required is the latest addition to our programming and reflects Quest Arabiyas commitment to meeting the continued demand for world-class Arabic-language content that airs year-round.
Image Nations move into production in Saudi Arabia follows the recent focus on the countrys media industry following the historic opening of cinemas across the country. Under the Vision 2030 programme, the nation will be investing $64bn into the entertainment sector over the next 10 years.
Michael Garin, CEO of Image Nation Abu Dhabi, added: Arabic-language projects that feature regional voices, perspectives and talent are at the heart of what we do at Image Nation. The growth of the entertainment industry in Saudi Arabia is exceptionally exciting and will be transformational for the region. No Kitchen Required is our latest project in Saudi Arabia, as Image Nation expands further into this strategically significant new market.
Image Nation has already developed a series of flagship partnerships with O3 Productions, the production arm of MBC Group. This year, it is beginning production on a feature film and spin-off of the TV series based on the bestselling Saudi sci-fi romance novel HWJN. Cast and shot in Saudi Arabia, the project will reflect the pop culture phenomenon of the novel.
Following this Image Nation and O3 Productions will co-produce four feature films including the comedy Love Above the Law, written by Saudi YouTube star, comedian and actor Fahad Albutairi (From A To B).