Entertainment
Exclusive: Saudi film ‘Junoon’ makes its US debut at Hollywood Arab Film Festival
After the Saudi film “Junoon” captivated audiences at the Hollywood Arab Film Festival in the US, a festival that showcases the richness and diversity of Arab cinema, Producer Noan Ribeiro said it was a “tremendous honor” to be featured.
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“Junoon playing in the official selection of the Hollywood Arab Film Festival has been a tremendous honor. We did not see that coming when we were brainstorming this movie in my living room years ago,” he told Al Arabiya English in an exclusive sit-down interview. “We’re just casually talking about it. And all of a sudden we’re… being critically acclaimed is just fantastic.”
The film follows Khalid, a Saudi vlogger, who goes to Southern California with his wife and best friend to capture footage of paranormal events.
“Junoon” was directed by Saudi brothers Maan B and Yassir B. whose hallmarks are innovation, bold storytelling and directing.
“Working with the directors was great,” Ribeiro said, adding that he’s been friends with one of the brothers for about 10 years.
“I met Maan many, many years ago. We’ve known each other for over a decade. We went to college together. So we’ve been close friends for a long time. And Yaser, by being his brother, by default, I feel like I had a great relationship with them. They both work really well together. They complement each other for different things. So the whole process was very natural.”
He continued, “both the brothers did an amazing job for authentically portraying their culture and representing their country internationally.”
Film producer Noan Ribeiro with Saudi brothers and film directors Maan B. and Yassir B. (Screengrab)
During the interview, Ribeiro touched on his visits to Saudi Arabia.
“Going to Saudi Arabia has been an incredible experience,” he told Al Arabiya English. “I had the opportunity to go there twice and it was amazing. Everyone is so nice. Everyone was so excited that, you know, people were coming to see their country. So there was a lot more things to do than I anticipated.”
Ribeiro also said he’s working for a Saudi production company called Knights of Arabia. Founded by Maan B., the company aims to bring more production opportunities to the Kingdom.
Ribeiro said he hopes to bring more stories from the Middle East and represent Saudi Arabia in an international market.
“Working with Knights of Arabia… we’re committed to create a lot more projects. I’m working with the guys to bring more stories from the Middle East and, you know, represent Saudi in an international market. So that’s been real fun. And and, you know, it’s a lot of work, but it’s really cool. We’re all very engaged in the process and I feel like we’re somehow helping develop the industry in Saudi Arabia. So that’s been incredible.”
While “Junoon” was released in 2021 it recently made its US debut at the film festival. It was added to Netflix earlier this month.
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