After banning cinema for decades, Saudi Arabia is making movies
Breathtaking landscapes and hefty rebates are helping foreign producers overcome their culture shock
THICK CLOUDS of sand fill the air as a helicopter swoops low against a backdrop of sandstone cliffs. The crew are rehearsing a battle scene in “Kandahar”, a big-budget Hollywood war film set in Afghanistan. But the camera lies: the action is taking place 2,000 miles from Kandahar, in Al Ula, on the edge of the Arabian desert.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Arabian lights”
Culture December 18th 2021
From the December 18th 2021 edition
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