MBC Saudi Arabia Preps High-End Projects on Noah’s Ark, Rise of Oil; Production Chief Zeinab Abu Alsamh Talks Slate (EXCLUSIVE)
Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentProminent Arab world broadcaster MBC is ramping up film and TV production in Saudi Arabia, where a slew of high-end projects in the pipeline is set to join U.S. tentpoles like Anthony Mackie-starrer “Desert Warrior,” which is currently shooting.Zeinab Abu Alsamh, who is general manager of MBC Studios in Saudi, said she has roughly 20 projects — both TV and film — in various stages and is looking to greenlight at least some of them for production within the next 18 months.MBC is at the forefront of the current Saudi media industry boom, which is being accelerated by the growth in subscribers to its Shahid VIP streaming platform.