Middle East Distributor Front Row Takes Saudi Wrestling Comedy ‘Sattar’ For Wide Local Release

Nick Vivarelli
·1 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Middle East distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has boarded Saudi wrestling comedy “Sattar.” The film is set for a wide release in Saudi on Dec. 29 via Front Row Arabia, its joint-venture with local exhibitor Muvi Cinemas.

Directed by Kuwaiti’s Abdullah Al Arak, the film, which launched positively from the recent Red Sea Film Festival, is produced by Saudi Arabia’s prolific production company Tefaz11 via its new production arm, AlShimaisi Films, in tandem with Muvi Studios. “Sattar” stars Saudi actor and stand-up comedian Ibrahim Al Hajjaj (“Rashash”), who plays Saad, a man whose floundering personal and professional life prompts him to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a freestyle wrestler.

More from Variety

The Saudi theatrical market has been booming in recent years. Following the Dec. 2017 removal of the kingdom’s 35-year-old religion-related ban on movie theaters, the kingdom is now the top theatrical market in the Middle East and was worth $238 million in 2021, as per Comscore.

According to Front Row, Arabic films now account for a hefty 31% of Saudi’s 2022 box office haul but Saudi titles still represent a small percentage of those releases.

“We are so proud to be launching AlShimaisi films, the newest brand from Telfaz11 group with the release of our first action-comedy ‘Sattar,’ which was created by Saudi talent,” said the head of AlShimaisi Films, Ibraheem Alkhairallah, in a statement.

Following its release in Saudi, “Sattar” is also set to go out via Front Row in cinemas across the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Iraq.

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.