Eric Paquette’s Meridian Footage varieties partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Hakawati Leisure – Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: Former MGM and Sony Footage exec Eric Paquette’s movie and TV firm Meridian Footage has struck a partnership take care of Saudi Arabian manufacturing home and literary administration firm Hakawati Leisure.

Underneath the settlement, Los Angeles Paquette will convey Hollywood expertise to the Saudi leisure sector to develop, produce and distribute authentic movie and TV content material, aimed toward each regional and worldwide audiences.

“Hakawati is basically dialled into the native market. We’ll mix our numerous experience to make content material, not solely native language but in addition English-language motion pictures for audiences everywhere in the world,” mentioned Paquette.

“Since I left Sony a yr and a half in the past, I’ve 35 tasks. A lot of them might shoot there,” continued the exec, who formally launched Meridian Footage in 2021.

Meridian tasks that would lend themselves to the partnership included the beforehand introduced motion thriller Papa Alpha Heavy, which is ready on a business airline, and an untitled love story set in opposition to a bus crash, he prompt, though a slate has but to be set.

Saudi Arabia has ambitions to develop into a significant movie and TV manufacturing hub as a part of its Imaginative and prescient 2030 technique aimed toward transferring the financial system away from a reliance on oil revenues, which noticed the nation carry its 35-year cinema ban on the finish of 2017.

Underneath the drive, the territory formally launched a 40% money rebate for worldwide and native productions final Might and is at present within the course of of making state-of-the-art movie and TV manufacturing hubs on the websites of Al-Ula and Neom.

The nation has additionally dedicated to opening 2,600 film theatres by 2030. With roughly 50% of its rising 36.5m inhabitants at present beneath the age of 25, the nation is poised to develop into one of many greatest field workplace territories in Europe, the Center East and Africa area.

Hakawati Leisure was launched in 2020 by a workforce of Saudi entrepreneurs and trade consultants. Redha Alhaider heads the corporate as chairman. He’s flanked by CEO Osama AlKhurayji and COO Sarah Bin Obaid.

Alhaider was on the forefront of Saudi Arabia’s opening as much as movie and TV as the previous head of its Common Fee of Audiovisual Media (GCAM) in 2017 and 2018.

“I’ve had quite a lot of Zooms with Osama AlKhurayji and I communicate to Redha as soon as per week. They’re actually enthusiastic about this and I really feel honored. There are a whole lot of producers in Hollywood they may have reached out to. I couldn’t be extra enthusiastic about doing this with them. It’s an untapped location,” mentioned Paquette

Hakawati’s credit so far embody the hit sequence Ureem, following the adventures of a down-on-his-luck man who takes on work as a taxi driver, and Sundos, a sitcom a couple of busy businessman abruptly landed with the day-to-day care of his household.

“We’re thrilled to unveil this distinctive cooperation platform within the Kingdom that may convey Hollywood expertise and experience right here to foster the native media Trade and tradition,” mentioned Alhaidar.

CEO Alkhurayji added: “It’s an thrilling time for us at Hakawati Leisure, with this partnership facilitating the expansion of the sector and cementing our function in its future.”

Movies and TV reveals produced beneath the partnership will faucet into the brand new 40% money rebate and the companions are additionally speaking to “numerous events the world over who’ve expressed curiosity in underwriting” productions popping out of the partnership.

An extended-term aim says Paquette could be to shoot English-language and Arab-language variations of the identical manufacturing facet by facet, utilizing the identical set and assets however totally different forged and crew.

“This has by no means been executed however that’s what I need to do as a result of if in case you have a script that works as an English-language movie and an Arab-language movie, why not do it in each languages,” he mentioned.