Saudi feature film Shams Al-Maaref will be available for online streaming starting 1 October on Netflix.
Directed by Faris Godus and produced by his brother Suhaib Godus, the film premiered in cinemas across the kingdom during this summer’s Eid Al-Adha holiday.
Shams Al-Maaref is set in 2010 and explores the story of high school senior Husam (Baraa Alem), who becomes interested in video production at the same time as the internet is creating social change.
The Godus brothers are best known for their success in internet video production projects such as Telfaz 11, as well as for creating the short film Depressing Scene (2016) and the Saudi Ramadan TV series Another Planet.
Shams Al-Maaref was supposed to premiere in March at the first edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival, but the festival was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The film was written by Suhaib Gudos, Faris Gudos and Hani Kadour. The cast includes Suhaib Gudos, Baraa AlAlem, Ismail AlHassan, Ahmed Saddam, Nawaf AlShubaili, Eyad Ayman Kaifi.
It received a $500,000 grant from the festival’s Tamheed Fund, a one-time award for emerging Saudi filmmakers.
Netflix has over 193 million paid memberships in over 190 countries and has a burgeoning presence in the Middle East.
This autumn, Netflix will also release Egyptian production Paranormal, based on Ahmed Khalid Tawfik's 1980s and 1990s series. Comedian Ahmed Amin will portray Dr. Refaat Ismail in the script and Amr Salama will direct.
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