Saudi Arabia film and digital content production and finance company Telfaz11 celebrated its 11th anniversary on Friday by announcing the start of shoot for its 11th feature film, Night Courier by Ali Al Kalthami.
Telfaz11, which was a leading player in Saudi Arabia’s YouTube space of the 2010s, has rapidly moved into feature film production following the lifting of the country’s cinema ban in late 2017, cutting deals with Netflix and burgeoning local exhibitor Muvi to finance its slate.
“Telfaz11 celebrates its 11th anniversary on 11/11/2022 with the start of its 11th produced film,” the company said in a statement. “Telfaz11 continues to show its ethos of pushing comedic boundaries by always celebrating the 11th iteration of its most critical milestones, rather than the more common 10th.”
Riyadh-set dark comedy Night Courier revolves around a young man who gets involved in a high-risk bootlegging scheme to raise money for medical treatment for his sick father.
The film was unveiled last December at the inaugural edition of the Red Sea Film Festival’s project market, the Red Sea Souk. It is on a slate of four productions being developed by Telfaz11 in partnership with Paris-based Easy Riders Films.
Mohammed AlDokhi, who got his first breaks in a number of Telfaz11’s short-form digital productions, is playing the lead.
The company is currently gearing up for the release this year of three feature films, spanning action-comedy Sattar; dark comedy Raven Song, which is Saudi Arabia’s Oscar entry this year; and the satirical suspense comedy Khallat+.
All three titles will screen at the second edition of the Red Sea Film Festival, running in the Red sea port of Jeddah from December 1 to 10.
Khallat+, which is a spin-off of a hit online show that generated more than 1.5 billion online views, will debut soon on Netflix.
Other upcoming Telfaz11 productions due to be released by the end of the year include the documentary Blue Spirit about Saudi Arabia’s iconic Al Hilal Football Club.
“As we celebrate eleven amazing years since our founding, Telfaz11 continues to stand at the forefront of another pivotal period of considerable change in entertainment,” said Telfaz11’s CEO and co-founder Alaa Fadan.
“The frequent launch today of cinemas and their rapidly expanding box office revenues provide valuable economic opportunities for local filmmakers and content creators, with Telfaz11 leading the way.”