The company will be based out of Riyadh and will operate alongside recently launched distribution company TwentyOne Entertainment, also overseen by Chesney.
In a strategic move just days before the commencement of the third edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival, former Universal Pictures executive Paul Chesney has unveiled the creation of Red Palm Pictures, a Riyadh-based production company.
Chesney assumes the role of CEO of this newly established, privately-owned production company, set to specialise in the development and production of original feature films, TV shows, and documentaries. Red Palm Pictures aims to cater to theatrical and streaming audiences in the MENA region and around the globe.
This public announcement follows the recent launch of TwentyOne Entertainment, a sister distribution company also spearheaded by Chesney. Both entities will operate under the same roof, establishing a comprehensive entertainment hub that covers production and distribution aspects.
Red Palm Pictures has made its first significant content signing by securing a multi-picture development deal with Saudi writer and director Tawfik Alzaidi. Alzaidi’s debut feature, Norah, is slated to premiere in competition at the upcoming Red Sea Film Festival, with international sales managed by TwentyOne Entertainment.
The initial four-picture deal commences with Alzaidi’s second feature project, the action and adventure drama Thuraya. Alzaidi is not only writing but also directing the film, which is currently in development and scheduled to commence shooting in late 2024.
As a prominent figure among Saudi Arabia’s emerging filmmakers, Tawfik Alzaidi has carved his path by writing, directing, and producing Norah, a feature film designed to transcend Saudi Arabia’s YouTube and TV culture. Alzaidi’s directorial journey began in 2006 with his short film The Silence, which won the Gulf Short Film Award at Muscat IFF in 2009, preluding the lifting of Saudi Arabia’s 35-year cinema ban in 2017.
Speaking about the launch, Chesney, CEO of Red Palm Pictures, said: “There is a new wave of filmmaking in Saudi Arabia right now and remarkable undiscovered talent, both behind and in front of the camera. Our goal is to be at the forefront of this growth and transformation and to nurture those filmmakers and give them local stories from within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as international co-productions. I am thrilled to be working with the visionary Tawfik Alzaidi and very excited to be helping him bring his incredible imagination and ideas to life.”
Tawfik Alzaidi added: “I could not be more excited to enter this partnership with Paul Chesney and Red Palm Pictures who understand and value my dreams as a filmmaker in the new Saudi Arabia. My ambition is to make important and memorable stories with limitless imagination and to establish Saudi Arabia as a real creative force in the global film community.”