“We will nurture local talent in Saudi Arabia and develop the country’s creative thinkers,” the CEO of Rotana Media Group, Turki Al Shabana, made this comment at the Asbar World Forum. The audience comprised CEOs and government officials.
Rotana has been contributing to the ongoing development and growth of the Arab TV and filmmaking industry, and Mr Shabana indicated that it remains committed to empowering and enabling a new generation of Saudi producers, directors, scriptwriters and actors.
Working with a predominantly young Saudi workforce, the media group has turned ideas into reality for the country’s entertainment industry.
Rotana produced the first Oscar nominated Saudi movie Wadjda, which was released in 2012, and supported the inaugural Saudi Film Festival. These are changing times for Saudi as it moves towards opening more cinemas and expanding its media production – and Rotana is playing a key role in helping young people to build and grow their skillset in this field.
“Every year, Rotana receives a significant number of creative ideas and projects from young Saudi talent. While many of these ideas have great promise, most of them lack any basic foundation. Therefore, the Rotana Media Group wants to work with the General Organization of Small and Medium Enterprises to improve and develop these ideas into solid, successful films of the future. We believe that this will help to attract significant investment for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Mr Shabana said.