RIYADH: A newly appointed board of directors at Saudi Arabia’s Film Authority will help develop the Kingdom’s film industry.

The Saudi Ministry of Culture announced the formation of the board, with Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan as chairman and Deputy Minister of Culture Hamed bin Muhammad Fayez as vice-president.

Board members include Haifa bint Abdulrahman Al-Mansour, Mohialdeen bin Saleh Kamel, Amanda Nevill, Mohammed bin Youssef Al-Khuraiji and Amer bin Jassim Al-Hamoud.

Under the management of CEO Abdullah Al Ayaf Al-Qahtani, the Film Authority will be responsible for developing the industry by creating and proposing strategy for the sector.

It will also help develop and support filmmaking, market Saudi films locally and internationally, collect information and statistics, build a database for the film sector, encourage financing and investment, propose standards for the film sector and motivate individuals, institutions and companies to produce and develop content in the film sector.

The Film Authority will also provide training courses, adopt training programs, develop educational programs, provide scholarships for the gifted, help protect intellectual property rights, issue licenses for relevant activities, organize conferences and events, establish companies, and represent the Kingdom in regional and international bodies.

SPA