KSA’s Neom Media Village Officially Opens Second Soundstage For Business
EXCLUSIVE: Saudi Arabia’s Neom Media Village has officially opened the doors to its second soundstage, bringing the total number of operational stages in the Neom region to four (two sit in Neom’s Bajdah Desert Studios).
The second stage within the Media Village sits at the same 2,400 square meters capacity as its first stage and is equipped with state-of-the art technology and back-of-house facilities including make-up rooms, green rooms and production offices.
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Neom says that it’s opened the new facility within its Media Village to cope with the “increased and growing demand” for facilities in the Middle East and North Africa and it comes just a few months after the first stage was completed. The latter is quickly booked out for a long-running drama series, which begins production early March. Neom wouldn’t disclose the name of the series.
A further six stages, including a volumetric stage, are currently in development and are set to open by mid-2023. Producers looking to shoot in the region will be able to tap into Saudi Arabia’s 40% cash rebate production incentive scheme for feature films, TV dramas, reality series and docs. Projects such as upcoming Anthony Mackie-starrer Desert Warrior and fantasy adventure series Rise of the Witches.
“Demand for production facilities is growing faster than we can build stages, which shows the confidence industry has in our ability to provide the full production support package,” said Wayne Borg, Managing Director Media Industries, Entertainment and Culture at Neom. “To date we have supported 30 major productions, attracted by our highly competitive production incentives, state-of-the-art infrastructure and great locations, all backed by a highly experienced team who know what producers want and can anticipate their needs ensuring a seamless production experience.”
The stages being commissioned are the initial steps of development towards Neom’s state media hub, which is set to be a single integrated, creative campus of over 1 million square meters situated on The Line encompassing 37 stages & studios, tenancy space, vocational learning facilities and industry incubation and start up space.
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