• With this diverse and high-quality content, Netflix is focusing on authentic stories from Arab storytellers

Saudi Arabia, Riyadh: This week, Netflix announced an exciting line-up of upcoming content from the Arab world, including shows and films from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Jordan, and Egypt. The projects are part of Netflix's push into Arabic content as it invests in more Arab storytellers to tell stories that can be loved globally. So far, Netflix has had an exciting journey in the region, working with new and established voices to tell more authentic stories that carry broad appeal, and taking big creative swings with several formats, new in the Arab world.

Netflix previewed a diverse range of best-in-class Arabic content from a melodramatic unscripted show to an animated comedy series, a youth-centered film, a psychological thriller, and a historical drama through exclusive promo reels and first-look images. These include:

  • Dubai Bling (UAE): An 8-episode Arabic docu-soap set to launch globally on the 27th of October this year. Meet the successful, sumptuous, and splendid social circle of 10 self-made wealthy individuals living their wildest dream in the Bling City. Expect gossip, drama, and a whole a lot of sassy clapbacks from famous faces such as radio host Kris Fade and his wife Brianna Ramirez, Saudi TV host and actress Lojain Omran, Emirati DJ Marwan Al Awady and his wife Danya Mohammed, AKA Diva Dee, as well as influencers, socialites, and businessmen who are at the top of their fields including Zeina Khoury, Safa Siddiqui, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Farhana Bodi, and Loujain Adadah.
  • The Exchange (Kuwait): Bringing beloved faces from Kuwait to screens around the world, The Exchange is a high-profile series from Kuwait starring Rawan Mahdi, Mona Hussain, Hussain alMahdi, Mohamed Mansour, Faisal alAmiri, Jasem alNabhan, Maryam Salih, Asmahan Tawfiq, Abdullah Bahman and more. The Exchange follows a unique story about two trailblazing women who disrupt the corrupt boys club of Kuwait’s banking industry in the late 1980s. The workplace drama is created and written by Nadia Ahmad, Anne Sobel and Adam Sobel and directed by Karim Elshenawy & Jasem AlMuhanna and will launch in early 2023.
  • Alkhallat+ (KSA): A satirical suspense film based on Telfaz11’s hit digital show Alkhallat, which first released in 2017 and received more than 1.5 billion views across YouTube and social media. The film will feature four exciting comeback stories of social deception and trickery in four unlikely places, bringing the best of this beloved Saudi show to life. The film is directed by Fahad Alammari, and stars Aziz Alshehri, Mohamed Aldokhie, Ibraheem Alkhairallah, Ibraheem Alhajjaj, Fahad Albutairi, Suhaib Godus, Ziyad Alamri, and Ismail Alhassan. The film is expected to launch next year. More coming soon on this! 
  • The Matchmaker (KSA): A psychological thriller film with a supernatural slant set in Al Ula, covering universal themes like disloyalty and morality. The film will launch in early
  • 2023 and stars Hussam Alharthy, Reem AlHabib, Nour Alkhadra and is directed by Abdulmohsen Aldhabaan.
  • Masameer County Season 2 (KSA): The youth-centered show features 8 episodes and continues its chronicling of a changing Saudi with its quintessential wit & unique brand of humor. The highly anticipated animation will return as a sequel in 2023. More details will be shared closer to the launch date. 

Netflix also announced a slew of exciting global productions, including a new season of Emily in Paris and fantasy adventure film Slumberland, starring Jason Momoa. In addition, Netflix also talked about the outstanding local talent such as Khaled Abdulla, Ahmed Malek, and Kinda Alloush starring Netflix’s global productions like The Crown and The Swimmers.

This follows Netflix’s successful journey in the Arab world. Hana Al Omair’s Whispers, the first multi-faceted psychological Saudi thriller directed by a female filmmaker created a ripple by bucking conventional expectations of storytelling. Fan-favorites Al Rawabi School for Girls and Finding Ola are now being renewed for a new season, having amplified Arab voices on the global stage and forefronting  more female creative voices. From Saudi Arabia, Netflix brought some truly authentic and entertaining content including Masameer County, Masameer the Film, Six Windows in the Desert, and youth sensation, Takki. There was also Netflix’s first Arabic unscripted reality show The Fastest, and archaeological documentary, Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb which was viewed by 22 million households in its first week of launch. Apart from Netflix productions, there have also been some iconic films from different parts of the Arab world that have been given a home on Netflix through collections like Celebrating Arab Cinema, Palestinian Stories, Because She Created, and New Saudi Voices.

Through all these titles, Netflix has been investing in authentic storytelling from the Arab world and giving more people a chance to see their lives reflected on screen. Netflix will continue to expand its investment in the region, bringing authentic stories and talent from the Arab world to the forefront of the global entertainment industry.

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