{"id":18516,"date":"2024-07-15T17:46:19","date_gmt":"2024-07-15T15:46:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/?p=18516"},"modified":"2026-10-09T01:06:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T23:06:49","slug":"general-entertainment-authority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/general-entertainment-authority\/","title":{"rendered":"Saudi Entertainment Authority Projects: Will They Revive Egyptian Cinema or Drown It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Turki Al-Sheikh, head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, revealed the “Big Time<\/a>” investment fund launched by the Saudi General Entertainment Authority to make and produce Egyptian and Saudi Arab films, explaining that there is a project to produce 12 feature films starring Egyptian actors; some are new instalments of earlier Egyptian films, such as the third instalment of Welad Rizk, The Blue Elephant, Shams El-Zanaty and El-Bahth An Fadiha, in addition to six Saudi films. According to the available information<\/a>, the Entertainment Authority is the fund’s main sponsor, along with the Saudi Ministry of Culture, Sela Studio, Al-Wasael SMC, Rotana Audio and Visual, Benchmark and B Square for Artistic Production.<\/p>\n

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Estimates<\/a> indicate that the fund’s budget exceeds USD 100 million, although this has not been officially announced. The fund’s investments go into producing Arab films that serve the kingdom’s interests and policies in the region, so that it becomes a hub for the Arab film industry, and the fund’s profits over 18 months reached 20% of the cost of the artistic projects.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This included renewed talk of Egyptian-Saudi artistic cooperation, which escalated after a television episode on MBC Masr, owned by Saudi businessmen, in which presenter Amr Adib hosted Turki Al-Sheikh on his programme El-Hekaya, along with a number of people working in the Egyptian art sector, including actor Karim Abdel Aziz, director Marwan Hamed, the managing director of United Media Services’ film production company, Ahmed Badawy, and composer Hesham Nazih.<\/p>\n

Recently, Al-Sheikh<\/strong> sparked wide controversy and rejection among social media users in Egypt, raising questions about whether Riyadh aims through its productions to reinforce an offensive image of Egyptians, after the announcement of a feature film starring Egyptian actor Ahmed Helmy<\/a> that tells the story of a con man who runs scams on Egyptians during the Hajj and Umrah seasons.<\/p>\n

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Announcement of the launch of the Saudi Big Time investment fund. Source: the General Entertainment Authority’s Facebook page.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
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The Entertainment Authority’s Film Projects<\/h3>\n

Al-Sheikh explained his aim in producing these films, for which he named the Egyptian actors who will take part, pointing to investment in the film production sector, promoting his country and freeing the film industry from piracy.<\/p>\n

Opinions differed on the Entertainment Authority’s film projects in Egypt, and many questions were raised about the future of this cooperation and its impact, both negative and positive, on Egyptian film production, and about the challenges that creativity and innovation among Egyptian filmmakers will face if the Entertainment Authority monopolises this industry, especially as the industry is facing challenges and decline after the spectre of monopoly by United Media Services, owned by Egyptian sovereign bodies, took hold of it.<\/p>\n

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According to an investigation published by ARIJ in October 2023<\/a>, “the film industry in Egypt has declined<\/a> markedly since 2018, as the number of films produced has fallen since 2019, recording 36, 26, 28, 33 and 22 films respectively up to 2023, compared with about 44 films in 2017 alone. Meanwhile, 2020 recorded the lowest cinema box office revenues in Egypt since 2011, at USD 7.2 million. United Media Services also monopolised drama production through Synergy<\/a>, controlling series production in Egypt after it joined, in 2016, the Egyptian Media Group, then owned by Eagle Capital (a direct investment fund owned by a sovereign body), producing on its own a quarter of the Egyptian market’s share of series, about 100 series between 2016 and 2023, while it has produced about 20 films since 2018.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The same investigation added that “the number of cinemas in Egypt has fallen, after Egypt had been a pioneer: they numbered about 86 in 1926 and rose to 359 in 1958, because of the orientations of the regime of former President Gamal Abdel Nasser, who used Egyptian art as part of soft power to reinforce his local and regional goals. But the number fell sharply until it reached about 53 cinemas nationwide in 2020, according to statistics<\/a> from the Central Agency for Statistics, most of them concentrated in shopping malls and new cities, while many cinemas in middle-class and working-class areas disappeared.”<\/p>\n

But despite the ongoing controversy, these were not the Arab Gulf’s first attempts to enter the Egyptian art market. Gulf funding of the Egyptian drama industry flourished during the 1980s, coinciding with the rise in Gulf oil prices, and investments appeared through the purchase of Egyptian films and series to be shown on Gulf television channels. Estimates indicate that Gulf funding accounts for between 20% and 30% of Arab artistic production in general.<\/p>\n

Saudi Arabia is considered the Gulf state that contributes most to funding artistic projects in Egypt, in line with implementing the kingdom’s Vision 2030 strategy, which pushed towards diversifying cultural and entertainment sources. According to the data<\/a>, Saudi funding for artistic production in 2023 amounted to more than EGP 4 billion.<\/p>\n

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Do Turki Al-Sheikh’s Projects Serve Cinema?<\/h3>\n

Director Amir Ramses<\/strong> believes the film industry in Egypt urgently needs Arab artistic production alliances, and that through these alliances Egyptian cinema can return to working with the thriving industries in Tunisia, Morocco and Lebanon, as well as creating an opportunity for new generations of stars and filmmakers to emerge, which strengthens the continuity of the pioneering Egyptian industry.<\/p>\n

Ramses adds in his statement to Zawia3<\/strong>: “Riyadh’s projects create a challenge for Egyptian filmmakers to find a way to keep producing films and to diversify the films shown, so that they are not limited to big-budget productions only.”<\/p>\n

Ramses’s view is consistent with that of director Marwan Hamed<\/strong>, who, commenting on Al-Sheikh’s remarks, said that the Egyptian-Saudi partnership in film production serves Arab cinema in general, similar to the film industry in European Union countries.<\/p>\n

Ramses also points to the obstacles that may arise from this cooperation, namely inflated film budgets, as the high fees of actors working in Saudi-produced films may cause a problem when they take part in Egyptian-produced works, since they will expect similar fees, which places a burden on the Egyptian producer. He adds: “This is what happened with Good News, which produced two or three films and then disappeared.”<\/p>\n

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Good News was not the only company to disappear from the Egyptian market after producing a small number of works, as data<\/a> indicate that about 218 companies have produced or co-produced a single film since 2008, while 39 companies produced only two films, 122 companies produced one series and stopped, and 29 companies stopped after producing two series.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Saudi Arabia and Censorship of Egyptian Cinema<\/h3>\n

Concern prevails over Saudi Arabia’s artistic projects, amid fears that Egyptian works will be subjected to Saudi censorship and that large companies will dominate the market, and the greatest fear is that Egyptian production companies will move to Saudi Arabia, which would also cast a negative shadow on the Egyptian economy.<\/p>\n

Film critic Magda Khairallah<\/strong> points to this negative impact, warning of Riyadh’s interference in creativity and innovation, steering ideas and blocking actors from taking part in the projects it funds.<\/p>\n

She adds in her conversation with us: “Filmmakers must preserve the character of the Egyptian artistic product and not allow the funder to impose conditions that may affect innovation and diversity within the artistic work, which leads to the work losing its identity.”<\/p>\n

Egyptian social media pages had given strong support to actor Mohamed Salam, while he was fiercely attacked by audiences in Riyadh after he withdrew from performing the play “Artificial Marriage”, which was staged in Riyadh last October, coinciding with the start of the Gaza war.<\/p>\n

In a video<\/a> posted on his personal Facebook account, he expressed his dismay at the continuation of Riyadh Season events at a time when the war in Gaza was intensifying, adding that he “cannot present a comic artistic work while the people of Gaza are being killed”.<\/p>\n

Many Egyptian bloggers on social media discussed the ban on Salam appearing in any artistic works funded by Saudi Arabia, saying he had been asked to apologise officially to the head of the Entertainment Authority in order to be allowed to take part in artistic works; however, no official responses were published on this matter, which angered citizens who felt that the authorities do not protect their artists.<\/p>\n

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Salam’s case was not the first to point to Riyadh’s control over Egyptian artists, as Egyptian singer Amal Maher previously had a dispute with Al-Sheikh himself, to whom she was linked by marriage, but it ended with severe restrictions on her and a ban on her appearances, to the point that she announced her retirement at the time in a Facebook post in mid-2021, in which she indicated that the decision to retire<\/a> was beyond her control; however, social media users agreed that Turki Al-Sheikh was behind the retirement decision, especially after he stormed her home in Egypt.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Maher’s fans then launched a campaign against Turki Al-Sheikh, especially after all her works disappeared from YouTube and her songs were deleted from Anghami, but United Media Services intervened and organised a concert<\/a> in New Alamein in 2022, with wide official and public attendance, which international newspapers considered protection for the singer by the Egyptian authorities against the practices of her ex-husband.<\/p>\n

Director Amir Ramses comments on that incident, saying: “These are family disputes in the end, and we should not build positions on what happened unless Amal Maher herself speaks about it.”<\/p>\n

Riyadh’s control over the direction of the Arab art market, and its restriction and steering of Egyptian artists’ freedom, appeared strongly in 1980, when poet Salah Jahin nominated actress Sawsan Badr<\/a> to take part in the film “Death of a Princess”, produced that same year by Associated Television and WGBH TV, which tells the story of the killing of Saudi princess Mishaal bint Fahd. The film angered the Saudi government, which had it pulled from the market and prevented its broadcast worldwide by applying pressure through the Saudi oil weapon. It also withdrew its ambassador from London, and those involved in the film were banned from entering the kingdom, while all artistic works featuring Sawsan Badr were banned not only in the kingdom but across the Gulf states in general. Riyadh also pressed Egyptian television not to work with Badr, which forced her to change her name from Suzanne to Sawsan in order to find work, confirming that Riyadh’s control over the Gulf art market in particular has been developing for about four decades.<\/p>\n

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Egyptian Creativity at Risk<\/h3>\n

Magda Khairallah<\/strong> believes that the danger of Egyptian-Saudi artistic cooperation lies in buying will and creative freedom and narrowing the horizons of diversity, and points to the need to sign contracts that prevent interference by the foreign funder and limit its powers and authority over the work’s makers. She adds: “The producer may bring in a particular actor because he is known in the funder’s country, but he has no right to deprive an actor of taking part and block his appearance.”<\/p>\n

Film critic Ahmed Saad El-Din<\/strong> opens his conversation with Zawia3 by saying: “The production cost of the third instalment of Welad Rizk reached about EGP 600 million, including actors’ fees that were more than double their fees in Egypt. This represents a challenge for Egyptian production companies: whereas the budget of Egyptian films used to range between EGP 30 and 40 million, a producer now needs at least about EGP 100 million to be able to attract A-list stars to take part in the work, which means that small and medium-sized companies are now in a dangerous position.” He points out that this may ultimately lead to those companies closing, because they cannot keep up with the large companies.<\/p>\n

He adds: “A-list stars are looking to take part in Saudi Arabia’s artistic projects, with their huge funding and large fees, which means that film production will shift in Saudi Arabia’s favour, while Egyptian film production declines.”<\/p>\n

A state of confusion and fear dominates Egyptian public opinion regarding the current form of artistic cooperation between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, visible on social media, along with fears that Egypt will lose its leading position in Arab cinema, especially as Egyptians view Egyptian art with a kind of pride because of its pioneering role, and consider it one of the tools of soft power that attracts many tourists to Egypt and spreads its culture.<\/p>\n

In the past, Gulf companies rushed to fund Egyptian drama in cinema and television, to diversify their investments and engage economically in new markets, driven by the Gulf funder’s desire to benefit from the expertise of Cairo, which has dominated the artistic production market for decades. But the Egyptian public has reservations about this cooperation, which film critic Emad Yousry<\/strong> sums up in his conversation with us, saying: “What is new is the Saudi cultural opening; there is now a different space for accepting art as an industry and an actual presence, after art in Saudi Arabia used to face rejection.”<\/p>\n

He continues: Saudis used to come to Egypt to watch Egyptian arts in theatres and cinemas, and now a number of theatres and cinemas have opened in Saudi Arabia; but what is shown there is Egyptian works, because they are the foundation of Arab art.<\/p>\n

According to Saudi media figure Abjad Al-Nafel<\/strong>, the Entertainment Authority’s artistic projects with Egypt are welcomed by the Saudi public, which is living through a golden age of openness the kingdom has never witnessed before.<\/p>\n

Al-Nafel believes that the activity between Egypt and Saudi Arabia on artistic projects serves Egyptian art in particular and Arab art in general, and presents it in a fitting way, adding in his conversation with us: “Egyptian cinema has deep roots of excellence and creativity going back more than a century, and deserves to rise to keep pace with the technical and creative development of world cinema.”<\/p>\n

For his part, Amir Ramses believes that the Egyptian authorities must support artistic production and stop pursuing it intellectually and financially, to give space for diverse production that can compete, asking: “Why are you bothered by the spread of the con-man character and the appearance of nightclubs and mahraganat singers in artistic works, as long as the institution responsible for culture demands a quarter of a work’s budget just to allow filming? The Egyptian authorities must support the film industry, or at least stop obstructing it.”<\/p>\n

Despite the growing welcome from the authorities in Egypt, and the new numbers of Egyptian artists joining Saudi works and the successive Riyadh Seasons, the Egyptian public remains opposed to these practices, and seriously links them to Riyadh’s entry as a competitor to the United Arab Emirates in buying and owning a number of Egyptian assets important to the Egyptian economy. This confirms, according to citizens on social media, that Cairo, with its history and soft power, has become a target for Gulf capital owners, especially after their influence extended to granting Saudi citizenship<\/a> to a number of celebrities in Egypt, such as presenter Amr Adib, actor Mohamed Henedy and composer Hany Farahat, which Egyptians described as the “Saudisation” of Egyptian art.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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