Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan has appointed Abdullah Al-Qahtani as CEO of the Film Commission, which aims to develop filmmaking in the Kingdom. 

The new commission is one of 11 new cultural bodies launched by the Ministry of Culture to manage the Saudi cultural sector.

Al-Qahtani is one of the leading names in the Saudi film industry. He has worked as a director, producer, and writer for many distinguished works since 2004.

He also chaired arbitration committees of local and regional film festivals and worked as a film critic for a number of leading Saudi newspapers.

Al-Qahtani, who graduated from the College of Mechanical Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in 2001, led programs and events at Saudi Pavilion at Expo 2020.

He also managed programs and initiatives at King Abdul Aziz Center for World Culture for three years along with holding a number of leading positions at Saudi Aramco.

The Film Commission will organize the film industry in Saudi Arabia through several key ways, including setting a comprehensive strategy for the film sector and developing a production environment to produce Saudi films with high production standards to be marketed locally and internationally.

It will also be responsible for the support and enablement of local talent in various disciplines in the film industry, encouragement to invest, produce and develop cinematographic content, delivery of training sessions and vocational programs, and the issuing of licenses for related activities.