On September 29th, Netflix is releasing a specially curated collection of 11 short films titled “New Saudi Voices”, to celebrate the originality and creativity of emerging Saudi filmmakers.
The collection spans a rich subset of genres – from horror and fantasy to family adventure, animation, sci-fi, and non-fiction, with the content showcasing the breadth and depth of Saudi’s emerging talent. 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.
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 and 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 neighborhood, 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.
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.
Nuha el Tayeb, Director Content Acquisitions, Netflix, MENA and Turkey
We already had great success with Saudi shows and films on Netflix like Masameer, Six Windows in the Desert, Takki, and Whispers spearheaded by Saudi creators and talent, and are excited to bring this expressive collection of films to our members around the world.
Statement by Netflix
