Art Jameel launches competition to design a cinema in Jeddah

A digital rendering of the Hayy: Creative Hub. (Art Jameel/ibda design)
Updated 06 February 2019
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Art Jameel launches competition to design a cinema in Jeddah

  • The cinema will be part of a three-story art complex in northern Jeddah
  • Interested professional architects, designers, or cinema specialists should register online by March 22

DUBAI: A competition inviting architects and designers to submit design proposals for a new movie house in Saudi Arabia has been launched by creative organization, Art Jameel.

Art Jameel, an independent organization that supports arts, education and heritage in the Middle East, is calling for design proposals for a new cinema in Jeddah, which will be part of a 17,000-square-meter art complex called Hayy: Creative Club.

Interested professional architects, designers, or cinema specialists should register online by March 22 – successful registrants will be given a month to create their proposals.

“We are delighted today to announce this unique opportunity for architects and designers from the Gulf and around the world to take part in imagining a picture house cinema for Saudi Arabia,” Antonia Carver, director of Art Jameel, said in a released statement.

According to Art Jameel, which has offices in Dubai and Jeddah, “The competition challenges applicants from around the world to deliver turnkey design proposals for a completely fitted cinema space.”

Entrants will also have to consider “benchmarks for sustainability and technological efficiency” in their turnkey design proposals.

A panel of judges will evaluate the proposals, including architects and cinema specialists, to pick a winner and two runner ups by the end of June 2019.

The winning team will then be awarded a contract for the development of the project, and they will be in charge of supervising its construction, according to the organization’s website. In addition, they will be given $15,000.

Throughout the deliberation process, a public series of lectures will be hosted for budding Saudi Arabia-based architects and designers.

Derived from the Arabic word for neighborhood, the Hayy: Creative Club is a three-story art complex due for completion in 2020 in northern Jeddah.

“Hayy: Creative Hub aims to contribute to the Kingdom’s 2030 vision and its mandate in nurturing a thriving, diversified cultural scene and creative economy,” Carver said.

According to Art Jameel’s website, the center “will act as an incubator for creatives and entrepreneurs — it will bring together and nurture Saudi Arabian artists, playwrights, photographers, filmmakers” and more.  


Will Smith brings ‘Pole to Pole’ docu-series to Dubai for Middle East premiere

Updated 12 January 2026
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Will Smith brings ‘Pole to Pole’ docu-series to Dubai for Middle East premiere

  • Star takes part in live onstage Q&A session alongside Allison Fong, Richard Parks, Bryan Fry

DUBAI: Global star Will Smith walked the blue carpet in Dubai on Monday for the Middle East’s premiere of National Geographic’s “Pole to Pole with Will Smith,” marking the regional launch of his seven-part global exploration series.

The event was held at the SEE Institute in The Sustainable City Dubai, the region’s first net-zero emissions building, and brought together government officials, regional celebrities, content creators and sustainability advocates.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith)

Following a private screening of the first episode, Smith took part in a live onstage Q&A session alongside Allison Fong, Richard Parks and Bryan Fry, three of the experts involved in the series.

Five years in the making, the cinematic docuseries follows Smith’s travels from the ice fields of Antarctica to the Amazon rainforest, the Himalayas, African deserts, Pacific islands, and the Arctic, exploring both extreme environments and the people who study and protect them.

L-R: Explorers Richard Parks, Bryan Fry, and Allison Fong with Will Smith. (Supplied)

Faris Saeed, the founder and chairman of SEE Holding, said the series “reminds us that progress is not only about how advanced we become, but by how deeply we remain connected to our humanity and our planet,” adding that future cities must bring people and nature closer together.

The premiere was produced by KS Konnect, the strategic consultancy founded by Kris Fade and Sarah Omolewu.

Sarah Omolewu, co-founder of KS Konnect and Will Smith. (Supplied)

Omolewu said hosting the event in Dubai was “deeply meaningful” and reflected both the city’s status as a cultural hub and Smith’s commitment to purpose-driven storytelling.

“Pole to Pole with Will Smith” will air on National Geographic on Jan. 13 at 8 p.m., on National Geographic Abu Dhabi on Jan. 14 at 9 p.m., and will be available to stream on Disney+ from Jan. 14.