ALKHOBAR: Saudi filmmakers who studied in the US are returning home to help shape a national film industry grounded in local identity but with global ambitions.
What began as a small wave of students seeking film education abroad has evolved into a generation of professionals turning cinematic curiosity into cultural capital.
Their experiences reveal how American storytelling is influencing the Kingdom’s growing film industry as it positions itself as a regional production hub.
For Saudi media producer and director Nasser Marghalani, the years he spent at the University of Hawaii in Manoa taught discipline, teamwork and perspective. Studying creative media from 2006 to 2009, he trained on the set of the television series Lost.
“Studying creative media there … gave me a deep understanding of storytelling through structure, light and rhythm, not just visuals,” he explained.
His short 2008 film, “Just Like That,” became the foundation of his career after it was selected for both the Hawaiian and Shanghai International Film Festivals.
“Working with a multicultural crew and adapting my story to resonate across cultures taught me how universal human emotion is, even when told through local context,” he said, adding that hands-on exposure to professional workflows left a lasting impression: “I rotated through several departments including production, wardrobe, art and locations. It showed me how every department connects to the storytelling process.”
That understanding would later guide Marghalani’s work as second assistant director on “Wadjda” in 2012, the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia.
“The film’s total budget was around $2.5 million, modest by global standards but groundbreaking locally,” he said.
“The main challenges were logistical … and technical, due to limited infrastructure at the time. These were solved through early planning, training local crews on set and maintaining transparent communication between creative and administrative teams.”
Marghalani said Saudi Arabia’s progress since “Wajda” had been remarkable. With new studios, production incentives, and international partnerships, the Kingdom has built the foundations of a modern film ecosystem.
To sustain that growth, he believes Saudi producers must take on greater leadership roles: “We should expand production infrastructure beyond Riyadh and Neom, simplify permitting and co-production rules, and enable Saudi producers to lead international-scale projects rather than assist on them.”
He envisions a film industry where creative ambition is matched by technical capacity: “When we strengthen our infrastructure, we’re not just supporting filmmakers. We’re building cultural continuity, ensuring that Saudi stories are told by Saudi voices.”
While Marghalani focused on structure and coordination, Aqeel Al-Khamees, director and CEO of 4am Creative Lab, found his lessons in collaboration and creative diversity. He studied at the Art Institute of Colorado, where film students worked alongside peers in fashion design, visual arts, and photography.
“At first glance, it might seem like a random mix,” he said. “But once these students, each rooted in a different creative field, begin to interact, they fill in each other’s projects’ gaps.”
The experience broadened his understanding of identity and storytelling. “Studying abroad gave me a broader sense of how cultural context shapes storytelling,” he said.
“I learned that identity is not a limitation but a creative language. When you know who you are, your story becomes universal.”
That cross-disciplinary environment has shaped his creative outlook.
“A director or producer might seek advice from a costume designer. A writer might find inspiration for a character in the gestures or aesthetic of a photographer,” he said. “This deliberate cross-pollination of disciplines builds a bridge of creative dialogue and expands the artist’s field of inspiration in ways that feel organic and fluid.”
The same approach continues to define Al-Khamees’ work in the Kingdom, where he leads projects that integrate film, visual art, and digital design.
“We live in an era where the arts are converging, complementing one another, and opening new horizons for authentic expression while still preserving the spirit of contemporaneity in cinematic discourse,” he said, adding he believes Saudi cinema is entering a phase of creative maturity and “creating a new visual dialect, one that speaks to the world in our own rhythm.”
Both filmmakers see education abroad as a catalyst, not a blueprint. The goal, they say, is not to imitate Hollywood but to adapt its discipline to Saudi values and realities.
Marghalani said: “The curriculum’s purpose should be to internalize international standards while preserving local authenticity.”
The two perspectives meet at a common point — collaboration without compromise. Their stories are an example of how Saudi talent educated abroad is returning to build a homegrown film industry that merges global professionalism with national character.
The transformation they describe aligns with the Kingdom’s broader cultural ambitions under Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the economy by investing in creative sectors.
The rise of Saudi film commissions, training academies and production zones signals that the foundations are in place.
Just last week, Saudi Arabia’s Film Commission took part in the American Film Market in Los Angeles last week to further develop links between the two countries’ film industries.
As Saudi Arabia continues to position itself as a regional filmmaking hub, its storytellers are redefining how culture travels, using global techniques to tell local stories through innovation rather than imitation.
