Netflix celebrates Saudi filmmakers with ‘New Saudi Voices’ collection

Netflix will release a specially curated collection of 11 short films titled ‘New Saudi Voices’, to celebrate the creativity of emerging Saudi filmmakers.

The 11 films are part of the New Saudi / New Cinema Shorts showcased at the Red Sea Film Festival last year and encapsulate the work of some of the most promising new voices in the Kingdom.

With the content showcasing Saudi’s emerging talent, the collection encompasses a wide range of genres – from horror and fantasy to family adventure, animation, sci-fi, and non-fiction.

Stories will span across decades, from the past of the 1960s, to modern day, and into an imagined future of the 2090s.

The red thread across all of them is the chance to experience a distinctly Saudi perspective, for example, Mohamed Basalamah’s Hallucinated follows a deliveryman who suffers from insomnia which worsens until his reality and hallucinations become indistinguishable. Other fictional plots like The Day I Lost Myself by Rami Alzayer explore how a young man with anxiety finds himself stuck in an elevator on his way to an interview. Documentaries like Arufea by Abbas Alshuwayfie offer a peek into an old Saudi neighbourhood, and Omar Al Omirat’s Covida the 19th explores lifestyle changes post-pandemic. The collection also includes an animated short called Whisper down the lane by Raghad Albarqi, The Jakar by Abdulaziz Saleh, The Palm Witch by Hala Alhaid, Hide and Seek by Mohammad Helal, Red Circle by Abdulaziz Sarhan, and Little Bird by Khalid Fahad.

Speaking about the new collection, Nuha el Tayeb, Director of Content Acquisitions, Netflix, MENA and Turkey, said: “We’re very excited to amplify the voices of up-and-coming filmmakers in Saudi Arabia through this collection. There’s incredible talent in the Kingdom, and they have unique stories to tell. We hope that as people tune into the films, they learn more about these creators, and catch a glimpse of their passion, originality, and creativity, as we have.”

The films will be available on Netflix from September 29, 2022.