Katie Holmes hit Cannes on Thursday to announce her involvement in a filmmaking mentoring program aimed at emerging Saudi Arabian female filmmakers, in a glossy event taking place in the newly refurbished Carlton hotel.
The program is the second part of the AlUla Creates initiative set up to nurture future generations of Saudi Arabian talent in the areas of film, the arts and fashion.
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Under the filmmaking mentoring program, Holmes will team up with Film AlUla to identify three emerging female Saudi filmmakers, who she will then mentor throughout the year.
The mentorship will kick off with a location scouting trip to AlUla to develop and structure a short film concept. The winning concept will be announced later this year and is slated for production in Q1 2024 in AlUla.
“I believe that women from all parts of the world should be empowered to follow their ambitions – It therefore brings me great joy to be joining the Film ALULa Creates Program to support and enable female filmmakers from the region,” said Holmes.
“I can’t wait to experience the creativity these women have to offer and to share experiences and perspectives from behind the camera.”
Holmes flew into Cannes for the announcement at a special event, where she was joined by supermodel Eva Herzigova, who is an ambassador for the AlUla Creates fashion mentorship, and Saudi actress Mila Al Zahrani.
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The Batman Begins and Dawson’s Creek actress Holmes said she would be drawing on her experience producing and directing three of her own films, including the recent feature adaptation Rare Objects and the 2022 romantic drama Alone Together.
AlUla Creates is overseen by Film AlUla, the organization overseeing the development of the world heritage site in North West Saudi Arabia into a film and TV production hub.
“As a seasoned veteran of the entertainment industry who has held many roles across her career, Katie has a depth of understanding of the craft of filmmaking, combining discipline and vision in a way that will provide our mentees both inspiration and practical skills,” said Charlene Deleon-Jones, Executive Director at Film AlUla.
Film AlUla is among a raft of Saudi bodies in Cannes this week as the country ramps up its drive to become a major film and TV hub, regionally and globally, following the lifting of its 35-year cinema ban in 2017.
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