Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — I believe Saudi Arabia could be a huge market for Pakistani films. We would definitely like to distribute films made in Pakistan in the Kingdom said Irfan Malik, senior vice president ARY Films and the son of most prominent film producer/director of Pakistan late Pervez Malik, in an exclusive interview with Saudi Gazette.

He spoke to Saudi Gazette while visiting Saudi Arabia to see the potential of the Saudi cinema market after the announcement of Ministry of Culture and Information that in the month of March 2018 commercial cinema houses will start in the Kingdom.

Malik added, he had discussion with the consultants of General Entertainment Authority (GEA). We are very well connected with Pakistani films and have a network of 8 TV channels through which we are promoting our films. So we wish to become exclusive distributor of Pakistani films in Saudi Arabia.

“I am related with TV & film production since 1998. I have been associated with ARY films for the last 3 years. At present ARY films is the biggest production and distribution house of Pakistan. We are well established in Pakistan and now we are looking for international markets beside Gulf regions including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and UAE,” he added.

He said the population of Saudi Arabia is larger than the Gulf region and perhaps the Urdu-speaking population could be largest among them. Therefore, I believe it could be a very lucrative market for Pakistani films. Also I believe for Saudi Arabia, Pakistani films would be more relevant because we have a certain common social and cultural values that we maintain in our films.

He said with the revival of Pakistani cinema we have started upgrading the standard of the production of the films that’s exported to different parts of the world. I think without exporting the industry and its films, the Pakistan film industry will not flourish.

He lauded the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which aims to develop the culture and information sector and to create a cultural industry in the fields of arts, literature, theater and cinema, as well as influencing human interaction.