Exclusive: Netflix has handed control to its Arabic content slate to long-serving exec Nuha El Tayeb following the exit of Ahmed Sharkawi.
El Tayeb has been with Netflix since 2018 and rose to her current role as Content Director for the Middle East & North Africa (Mena) region and Turkey in December 2019.
Following the exit of Arabic originals boss Sharkawi this month, she will expand her role to oversee the entire Arabic content slate, spanning acquisitions and originals for film and TV, both in scripted and unscripted. We understand she will be based at Netflix’s international HQ in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Sharkawi, who was Director of Arabic Content, Development, for the past five years out of Amsterdam, announced on LinkedIn earlier this month that he was leaving after “an unforgettable journey” and was “excited for new adventures ahead.” He exits Netflix under amicable circumstances. C21 first reported on his exit.
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El Tayeb has been with Netflix since 2018 and rose to her current role as Content Director for the Middle East & North Africa (Mena) region and Turkey in December 2019.
Following the exit of Arabic originals boss Sharkawi this month, she will expand her role to oversee the entire Arabic content slate, spanning acquisitions and originals for film and TV, both in scripted and unscripted. We understand she will be based at Netflix’s international HQ in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Sharkawi, who was Director of Arabic Content, Development, for the past five years out of Amsterdam, announced on LinkedIn earlier this month that he was leaving after “an unforgettable journey” and was “excited for new adventures ahead.” He exits Netflix under amicable circumstances. C21 first reported on his exit.
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- 3/7/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Sarah Youseff as Tasneem has been able to effectively bring out the vileness of the character in the second season of Alrawabi School for Girls. The queen bee of the school is seemingly perfect, and all the girls in her class are just crumbs of that supremacy. She is equally beautiful and smart, which helps her garner a lot of admirers. Little do people know about the wickedness that she has deep within the fake smile helps her conceal her real intentions. Will Tasneem realize her flaws later? Will she try to help Sarah? Let’s find out!
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Tasneem Want To Create A Fake Image Of Herself?
Tasneem, who was considered to be the most popular girl in Alrawabi School for girls, wanted to wear a fake persona around others. She wanted others to think that she was perfect and did not have any flaws. She...
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Tasneem Want To Create A Fake Image Of Herself?
Tasneem, who was considered to be the most popular girl in Alrawabi School for girls, wanted to wear a fake persona around others. She wanted others to think that she was perfect and did not have any flaws. She...
- 2/17/2024
- by Debjyoti Dey
- Film Fugitives
The character of Farah in the second season of Alrawabi School for Girls has been played by Raneem Haitham. Despite having a lot of potential as a singer, she is judged by her classmates on the basis of her conventionally average looks, which hurts her sentiments. She wanted to feel included in the group of popular girls but was unable to keep up with them. Being Tasneem’s cousin has, however, helped her gain certain leverage, but she is often insulted by Tasneem and her friends. How did Tasneem treat Farah? Why did Farah feel dejected? Why did she commit suicide? Let’s find out!
Spoilers Ahead
How Was Farah Treated By Tasneem And Her Friends?
Farah would tag along with Tasneem and try to get along with her friend group, as she wanted to be a part of the popular gang. Tasneem was, however, not able to completely avoid Farah,...
Spoilers Ahead
How Was Farah Treated By Tasneem And Her Friends?
Farah would tag along with Tasneem and try to get along with her friend group, as she wanted to be a part of the popular gang. Tasneem was, however, not able to completely avoid Farah,...
- 2/16/2024
- by Debjyoti Dey
- Film Fugitives
The second season of Alrawabi School for Girls focuses on the perils of exposing teenagers to social media. Directed by Tima Shomali, the second season of Alrawabi School for Girls is as epic as the first season focusing on elements of greed, lust, and desires altogether. Sarah gets trapped in a mesh of her own dreams, desperate to make herself visible. In a quest to become popular, she engages in fake friendships, eventually leading to her downfall. Will Sarah become popular? What events will lead to Sarah’s downfall eventually? Does Farah commit suicide in the end? Let’s find the answers to these questions!
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Sarah Want To Be Friends With Tasneem?
Sarah would do anything just to become a part of the popular girl gang at her school. All she wanted was to be noticed by everyone. Sarah asked for over-expensive gadgets from her parents...
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Sarah Want To Be Friends With Tasneem?
Sarah would do anything just to become a part of the popular girl gang at her school. All she wanted was to be noticed by everyone. Sarah asked for over-expensive gadgets from her parents...
- 2/15/2024
- by Debjyoti Dey
- Film Fugitives
It’s already been a busy 2024 for Netflix. Out is long time film chief Scott Stuber; in are live sports (sort of), a huge Sundance splash, and 18 Oscar nominations, the most of any individual studio. What does the next 11 months have in store? Answer: a hell of a lot.
Netflix on February 1 released a teaser video for its biggest properties arriving in 2024, including more than 50 new movies and 90 new and returning series. The highlight is “Squid Game 2,” the follow-up season to the South Korean dystopian smash hit that became Netflix’s biggest show of all time.
At the end of Netflix’s mega-tease, we see Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and his new bright-red hair walking through an airport when a mysterious voice on his phone tells him, “You’re going to regret the choice you made.”
“I’m going to find you, no matter what it takes,” he says in return.
Netflix on February 1 released a teaser video for its biggest properties arriving in 2024, including more than 50 new movies and 90 new and returning series. The highlight is “Squid Game 2,” the follow-up season to the South Korean dystopian smash hit that became Netflix’s biggest show of all time.
At the end of Netflix’s mega-tease, we see Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and his new bright-red hair walking through an airport when a mysterious voice on his phone tells him, “You’re going to regret the choice you made.”
“I’m going to find you, no matter what it takes,” he says in return.
- 2/1/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Netflix has unveiled the highlights of its Original Arabic-language content for the Middle East and North Africa in 2024, with shows coming out of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Kuwait and Jordan.
Fresh announcements included the second season of hit female-driven, Kuwaiti finance world drama The Exchange and a third season of unscripted show Dubai Bling, which Netflix promised would “delve deeper” into the lives of the existing characters and expand the “Dubai Bling family”.
Netflix also announced the arrival of Tunisia acting star Dhafer L’Abidine in the cast of the second season of Hend Sabry’s drama Finding Ola.
He joins Sabry in a cast also featuring Sawsan Badr, Hany Adel, Nada Moussa, Mahmoud El Leithy, Acel Ramzy, Omar Sherif, Yasmina El-Abd and Tarek el Ebiary.
In this new season, as the titular Ola’s business teeters on the edge of collapse, she discovers the need to reinvent herself and embarks...
Fresh announcements included the second season of hit female-driven, Kuwaiti finance world drama The Exchange and a third season of unscripted show Dubai Bling, which Netflix promised would “delve deeper” into the lives of the existing characters and expand the “Dubai Bling family”.
Netflix also announced the arrival of Tunisia acting star Dhafer L’Abidine in the cast of the second season of Hend Sabry’s drama Finding Ola.
He joins Sabry in a cast also featuring Sawsan Badr, Hany Adel, Nada Moussa, Mahmoud El Leithy, Acel Ramzy, Omar Sherif, Yasmina El-Abd and Tarek el Ebiary.
In this new season, as the titular Ola’s business teeters on the edge of collapse, she discovers the need to reinvent herself and embarks...
- 2/1/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Filming is set to begin in spring 2024.
Dubai-based Front Row Productions has boarded Zaid Abu Hamdan’s Boomah, an upcoming Arab crime thriller starring Jordanian actress Rakeen Saad.
Front Row has joined forces with burgeoning Jordanian outfit Bounce Productions to make the feature, which is described as a “raw and unfiltered crime-thriller set in one of Jordan’s roughest cities”. The film is scheduled to start shooting in spring 2024 with a release to follow by early 2025.
Saad, who stars in Netflix hit AlRawabi School For Girls and Mbc Shahid’s The Giza Killer, will play the lead role of Boomah.
Dubai-based Front Row Productions has boarded Zaid Abu Hamdan’s Boomah, an upcoming Arab crime thriller starring Jordanian actress Rakeen Saad.
Front Row has joined forces with burgeoning Jordanian outfit Bounce Productions to make the feature, which is described as a “raw and unfiltered crime-thriller set in one of Jordan’s roughest cities”. The film is scheduled to start shooting in spring 2024 with a release to follow by early 2025.
Saad, who stars in Netflix hit AlRawabi School For Girls and Mbc Shahid’s The Giza Killer, will play the lead role of Boomah.
- 12/5/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Dubai-based Front Row Productions has come on board Jordanian director and producer Zaid Abu Hamdan’s second feature Boomah about a female street thug.
The company, a joint venture between Mena distributors Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Empire Entertainment, is joining forces with Bounce Productions, the film and TV company created by producer Ahmad Abu Koush in 2022.
Boomah will be Abu Hamdan’s second feature after award-winning 2021 drama Daughters of Abdul-Rahman, which world premiered at the Cairo Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award, and then played multiple festivals including the Red Sea Film Festival.
The production has also announced that Jordanian actress Rakeen Saad, who starred in Netflix show AlRawabi School for Girls and Mbc Shahid’s The Giza Killer, will play the lead role of Boomah.
Originally announced under the title The Zarqa Girl at the project stage, the production is a described as crime thriller set...
The company, a joint venture between Mena distributors Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Empire Entertainment, is joining forces with Bounce Productions, the film and TV company created by producer Ahmad Abu Koush in 2022.
Boomah will be Abu Hamdan’s second feature after award-winning 2021 drama Daughters of Abdul-Rahman, which world premiered at the Cairo Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award, and then played multiple festivals including the Red Sea Film Festival.
The production has also announced that Jordanian actress Rakeen Saad, who starred in Netflix show AlRawabi School for Girls and Mbc Shahid’s The Giza Killer, will play the lead role of Boomah.
Originally announced under the title The Zarqa Girl at the project stage, the production is a described as crime thriller set...
- 12/5/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Jordanian director Bassel Ghandour’s thriller “The Alleys,” which depicts lowlife intrigue in Amman’s murky underworld, is drawing fire from conservative members of Jordan’s parliament for its use of expletives and allegedly blasphemous themes.
Ghandour’s multi-strand genre film — shot in a claustrophobic neighborhood in East Amman called Jabal Al Natheef, where violence runs rampant — is being blasted in parliament. It has also sparked heated social media debate ever since an uncensored version of the film released on Netflix on Jan. 5.
Conservative MP Suleiman Abu Yahya on Monday demanded that one of the actors, Munther Rayahna, be stripped of his citizenship for defending the film on social media. Another conservative politician, Muhammad Abu Suailik, in parliament called for Jordan’s Royal Film Commission, which helped fund “The Alleys,” to be prosecuted “for supporting films that distort the public image of Jordanian society.”
The Rfc in a statement responded...
Ghandour’s multi-strand genre film — shot in a claustrophobic neighborhood in East Amman called Jabal Al Natheef, where violence runs rampant — is being blasted in parliament. It has also sparked heated social media debate ever since an uncensored version of the film released on Netflix on Jan. 5.
Conservative MP Suleiman Abu Yahya on Monday demanded that one of the actors, Munther Rayahna, be stripped of his citizenship for defending the film on social media. Another conservative politician, Muhammad Abu Suailik, in parliament called for Jordan’s Royal Film Commission, which helped fund “The Alleys,” to be prosecuted “for supporting films that distort the public image of Jordanian society.”
The Rfc in a statement responded...
- 1/26/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
In what is being hailed as a milestone, Egyptian director Mohamed Diab recently became the first Arab helmer to direct a Marvel project when he took the reins of the limited series “Moon Knight,” while Netflix launched its latest Arab original show, “Finding Ola,” toplining Cairo-based Tunisian star Hend Sabry. Sabry plays a happy divorcee who embarks on a journey of self-discovery, reflecting changing female roles in the region and the streamer’s thematically groundbreaking Middle East strategy.
Meanwhile, Egyptian producer Mohammed Hefzy, whose production company Film Clinic was behind Netflix’s first Egyptian original skein, “Paranormal,” became a member of the 2022 Intl. Emmy Awards jury.
Hefzy points out that “Moon Knight” “opens doors for other Arab directors in the international TV arena” and notes that Marvel has also hired other behind-the-camera Egyptian talents such as editor Ahmed Hafez and composer Hesham Nazih. But still, it’s a Hollywood show.
Meanwhile, Egyptian producer Mohammed Hefzy, whose production company Film Clinic was behind Netflix’s first Egyptian original skein, “Paranormal,” became a member of the 2022 Intl. Emmy Awards jury.
Hefzy points out that “Moon Knight” “opens doors for other Arab directors in the international TV arena” and notes that Marvel has also hired other behind-the-camera Egyptian talents such as editor Ahmed Hafez and composer Hesham Nazih. But still, it’s a Hollywood show.
- 10/15/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has previewed a selection of upcoming films and shows aimed at the Arab world and hailing from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Egypt, and Jordan.
The global platform has been steadily making inroads into the Middle East and North Africa since 2015, in the face of fierce competition from local players such as Mbc’s Shahid VIP and Starzplay.
The new productions, mainly due to launch in 2023, include Saudi Arabian feature Alkhallat+, a satirical suspense film based on the hit online show Alkhallat, which was first released in 2017 and received more than 1.5 billion views across YouTube and social media.
The feature is one of the first productions to come down the pipeline under an eight-picture deal with burgeoning Saudi Arabian studio Telfaz11, signed in November 2020.
“The film will feature four exciting comeback stories of social deception and trickery in four unlikely places, bringing the best of this beloved Saudi show to life,...
The global platform has been steadily making inroads into the Middle East and North Africa since 2015, in the face of fierce competition from local players such as Mbc’s Shahid VIP and Starzplay.
The new productions, mainly due to launch in 2023, include Saudi Arabian feature Alkhallat+, a satirical suspense film based on the hit online show Alkhallat, which was first released in 2017 and received more than 1.5 billion views across YouTube and social media.
The feature is one of the first productions to come down the pipeline under an eight-picture deal with burgeoning Saudi Arabian studio Telfaz11, signed in November 2020.
“The film will feature four exciting comeback stories of social deception and trickery in four unlikely places, bringing the best of this beloved Saudi show to life,...
- 10/6/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
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