So, for example, we had Another Round and thought, “That’s a no-go.” But on the contrary, they were like, “No, we’ve been waiting for this film.” They’re taking it step by step, but they were quite excited to see the film and let it pass. Saudi Arabia obviously wants to change the perception of what it was.
You actually get some nice surprise hits, and it can be quite significant. They’re shooting themselves in the foot!Īre there censorship challenges with your films in Saudi? This clearly leaves a massive gap in the market that will be filled by distributors who will undoubtedly go after different premium sources of revenue, something I think will eventually only contribute to the demise of the theatrical window.
The UAE is so desperate to recover the losses they had throughout the lockdown and through that limited seating phase that when a Spider-Man comes out, they’ll just give every screen to Spider-Man and fuck everything else.Ĭinemas are currently offering a pretty easy program tailored to the lowest common denominator that simply gets the audience only used to event films. Before, it was insane, like this novelty factor, but now you’re starting to realize that you can target films there, whereas in the UAE you can’t, and there’s a habit of screwing over smaller titles. Outside of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, nothing is really working theatrically. How has it been for Front Row in the Middle East? Indie film distributors have had a pretty tough few years. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Front Row managing director Gianluca Chakra - who launched the company with his late father Michel Chakra in 2003 - discusses how Perfect Strangers underlines his recent push toward making quality Arabic content, explains why the company teamed with Netflix on its first-ever production and describes the pleasant surprise that was releasing Mads Mikkelsen’s boozy Oscar-winner Another Round in a country where alcohol is strictly forbidden. Netflix Suspends Service in Russia Amid Ongoing Invasion of Ukraine And amid all the noise, Perfect Strangers quickly leaped to the top of Netflix’s charts in every Middle Eastern territory - including Saudi Arabia - becoming one of its best-performing non-English films globally. But perhaps more powerfully came the response from the other side, with thousands - including vast swathes of the creative community - praising the film and issuing statements in support of its cast and artistic freedom. Within days, it was labeled part of a plot to disrupt Arab society, with prominent conservatives in Egypt attacking its actors, threatening lawsuits and even raising the film in Parliament. The Arabic-language remake of Italian hit Perfect Strangers - the launch film from a first-look deal the company signed with Netflix - was always going to cause a stir thanks to certain themes still considered taboo, including homosexuality, but few were expecting the controversy that would follow. According to Channing, “that night showed up at her hotel room with a sombrero on, and that was it.After almost 20 years as the Middle East’s flag bearer for indie film distribution, bringing prestige festival fare and award-winning features to regional cinemas and TVs, Dubai-based banner Front Row Filmed Entertainment recently hit the headlines with its debut production. Luckily, a friend talked him out of his fear of asking Jenna out. I was trying to run from what I knew Jenna was – not someone I was just going to date,” he told Elle. I mean the director, myself, Channing, Drew, Mario, Damaine, Rachel, we all just really had a great chemistry.” Even though they had chemistry and a relationship was forming, Channing had a hard time accepting it. “I had just gotten out of a pretty long relationship, so I was in no way ready for another. Dewan didn’t let on to just how well she and Channing got along, replying, “I feel so blessed for how instantly we all got along. In her press tour interview, Jenna Dewan was asked about how well everyone got along, and how that isn’t always the case for films. Despite the fact that they began dating while filming, they did try to play it cool for awhile, instead of drumming up the relationship for promo with the film’s release.
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