Young Saudi director Meshal Al Jaser, who springs from the country’s vibrant YouTube scene, is making a splash with his madcap feature debut “Naga,” in which a young woman named Sara goes on a date and takes drugs in the desert. She then must overcome various obstacles, including a rabid camel, to get home before the curfew set by her punishment-prone father.
Produced by Saudi’s prominent Telfaz11 production company in tandem with Netflix, “Naga” marks the first Saudi film selected for Toronto’s Midnight Madness program and is now premiering locally to ravishing response at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah.
Born in Riyadh, Al Jaser began making films at the age of 17, during the country’s now lifted cinema ban. He spearheaded an infamous “Folaim” YouTube channel that garnered more than 200 million views.
In 2017, when Saudi Arabia revived its cinema industry and removed the ban on theaters,...
Produced by Saudi’s prominent Telfaz11 production company in tandem with Netflix, “Naga” marks the first Saudi film selected for Toronto’s Midnight Madness program and is now premiering locally to ravishing response at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah.
Born in Riyadh, Al Jaser began making films at the age of 17, during the country’s now lifted cinema ban. He spearheaded an infamous “Folaim” YouTube channel that garnered more than 200 million views.
In 2017, when Saudi Arabia revived its cinema industry and removed the ban on theaters,...
- 12/4/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
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