Film AlUla Acting Executive Director Zaid Shaker Says Festival Presence Is Proof of the Saudi Agency’s ‘Ambitions and Capabilities’

Zaid Shaker is excited about what lies ahead. The new Acting Executive Director of Film AlUla, who takes over the role from Charlene Deleon-Jones in an interim capacity, is stepping in with the desire to build upon AlUla’s ambition to become a major global hub for film production and creative industries in Northwest Arabia. 

“We are on the cusp of some major deals for projects and in discussions with studios and productions on their upcoming plans that we’ll be announcing in due course,” Shaker told Variety when asked about what can be expected of his tenure in the position.

“We’re also going to continue supporting film through our initiatives, which include a strategic partnership with the Red Sea Film Fund to jointly provide grants, offering filmmakers from the MENA region with financial production support and the opportunity to complete a portion of filming in AlUla.” 

Before stepping into his current role, Shaker played a crucial role in shaping Film AlUla’s strategic framework. As the head of strategy and performance management, the executive oversaw the agency’s strategic performance in crafting initiatives to optimize both operational efficiency and long-term outcomes. He brings to the role 20 years of experience spanning film, tourism and the creative industries, having worked for organizations such as PwC, Chemonics, Abt Associates, Global Communities, and Jordan’s Royal Film Commission.

“When the opportunity arose to step up into this role, I was excited to be able to contribute to the direction of the organization,” the exec continued. “It’s such a landmark moment for us, with the studios we’ve built about to open later this year.”

This speaks to perhaps the most important undertaking of Shaker’s tenure: to continue expanding the image of Film AlUla as a destination for film productions and a comprehensive, state-of-the-art creative hub. The impressive facilities already include two 26,000-square-foot soundstages, a production building housing hair and makeup rooms, wardrobe facilities, office spaces, board rooms and dressing rooms. Plus, the complex also features 15,400-square-foot workshops for each stage, RV parking areas for each stage, an administration building, a sound recording studio, kitchen and events space and a 61,500-square-foot backlot for additional temporary infrastructure and set builds.

Most recently, Film AlUla took a significant step into branching out from only film by opening a recording studio, a control room and booths to be used by music artists and choirs for rehearsals and production of film scores, music videos and orchestral work. The agency is also planning on expanding its film studios in the next two years. 

“AlUla has always had jaw-dropping landscapes and unrivaled travel experiences, but we are now adding new state-of-the-art filming bases which means that we can welcome a whole new kind of production. I live in AlUla myself, and am really energized by the real appetite for growth.”

Since opening its doors in 2020, three years after Saudi Arabia lifted its 35-year ban on cinema and began positioning itself as a rising film production potency, Film AlUla has welcomed hundreds of shoots, including high-profile projects such as “Kandahar,” directed by Ric Roman Waugh and starring Gerard Butler; “Cherry,” starring Tom Holland and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo; and “Norah,” the first Saudi feature film to be shot at AlUla and featuring an all-Saudi cast and a crew that was more than 40% Saudi.

“Norah” marked a major turning point for Saudi filmmaking by becoming the country’s first-ever film selected for the Cannes Film Festival. Speaking about festival presence, Shaker is quick to highlight how thrilled he is about having American singer and rapper Anderson .Paak’s feature debut “K-PopS” premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. The film, which was partially shot in AlUla, marks yet another high-profile festival entry for the agency. 

“It really demonstrates our ambition as a home for film, and it’s a moment of great pride for us. ‘K-POPS’ and ‘Norah’ are two completely different projects by incredible filmmakers who found inspiration and support in AlUla. From a business perspective, it’s proof of both our ambition and our capabilities that we have played a part in such fantastic projects. It’s important for us to have these tangible examples of our success and also obviously for people to see what’s possible when they come to us.”