The Saudi sales and procurement company TwentyOne Ent. Presented at Red Sea Fest with the competition title “Norah” and former Universal Pictures Exec At Helm

New Riyadh-based acquisition and distribution company TwentyOne Entertainment has announced its launch at the upcoming Red Sea International Film Festival, which will take place from November 30 to December 9 in the port city of Jeddah.

The fledgling company named former Universal Pictures CEO Paul Chesney as CEO, whose last position there was Los Angeles-based EVP of global operations.

In its debut, the company will focus on international sales of writer-director Tawfik Alzaidi’s first feature film Norahwhich was announced as a contender for the festival’s main competition on Monday.

The film, described as a “deeply moving story about the power of art to inspire and transform minds,” is set in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s. Up and coming actor Yaqoub Alfarhan (outcome) plays a newly minted teacher who is sent to a remote village where he meets Norah, played by newcomer Maria Bahrawi.

Her courage inspires him and ignites his artistic talent and passion as he informs Norah of the wide world outside the town and makes her realize that she must leave her world to find a place where her imagination and her mind can be free .

The cast also includes veteran Saudi actor Abdullah Alsadhan (Tash mother Tash).

“Beginning at the Red Sea International Film Festival is very exciting and it’s a great honor to have a groundbreaking film like Norah as the first film on our list,” said Chesney.

“Our goal is to always provide a high quality cinema experience and to be an innovation leader in this rapidly evolving market. We look forward to building strong partnerships across the region and around the world.”

Alzaidi is one of a new wave of filmmakers emerging from Saudi Arabia after the country lifted its 35-year ban on cinemas in late 2017 as part of its Vision 2030 strategy to open up the country and its economy to move from dependence on oil to free.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has experienced incredible growth and change in all areas in recent years. The film industry is part of this development and growth, and Saudi Arabia has now become a well-equipped place for film production,” said Alzaidi.

“One of my goals with Norah was to make a high-quality film of international standards and create a new identity for Saudi films that will have a huge impact on local and international audiences. I am delighted to partner with TwentyOne Entertainment to bring my esteemed first feature to the world.”

In line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative, TwentyOne Entertainment will acquire and distribute new, high-quality cinematic Arabic and international content to theaters and across traditional broadcast and streaming platforms in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The company will also distribute its new Arabic content in other territories around the world.

Alzaidi’s previous credits include short films The silencewhich won the Gulf Short Film Award at the Muscat IFF in 2009.

In addition to his role at Universal, Chesney previously held senior management positions at and Disney, as well as new technology startups and new studio developments, where he oversaw sales and day-to-day operations, drove business transformation, and built and managed functional capabilities. Plow.