Saudi Thriller Mandoob, About a Bootleg Alcohol Dealer, Becomes First Arab Film Mastered

Groundbreaking Saudi Arabian thriller “Mandoob,” about a struggling man who becomes a bootleg alcohol dealer, is being mastered for theatrical release in both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos in what is being touted as a first for Saudi and Arabic cinema at large.

The film, which world-premiered in Toronto and recently bowed locally at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, is being released in Saudi by distributor Front Row on Dec. 14 with late night screenings starting Wednesday night.

In “Mandoob,” which is directed by Saudi cinema pioneer Ali Kalthami and produced by studio Telfaz11, which he co-founded, the protagonist Fahad is fired from his job in a call center and becomes a booze runner, plunging into the depths of Riyadh’s underworld as he battles adversity to save his ailing father.

“The combined power of Dolby Vision’s groundbreaking imaging technology and Dolby Atmos’ immersive sound will ensure that audiences are not just watching a film; they are experiencing the heart of Riyadh in unprecedented detail,” noted Friedrich Deininger, Dolby’s senior director of cinema for EMEA and India.

“Filming at night adds a layer of mystery, and with Dolby viewers will feel the heartbeat of the city and the intensity of Fahad’s struggle,” Kalthami said. “This film is not just about watching; it’s about living the experience, feeling every emotion as if you were there.”

Five years after the removal of its 35-year-old religion-related ban on cinemas, Saudi Arabia is rapidly rising to become the region’s cinematic powerhouse and spawning homegrown movies that vie with Hollywood blockbusters at the local box office. After launching from the Red Sea Fest last year, Saudi action comedy “Sattar” – also produced by Telfaz11 and distributed by Front Row – ousted “Avatar: The Way of Water” from the top box office slot en route to scoring an eye-popping $11 million, the highest gross ever for a Saudi feature to date.

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Martina Birk

Update: 2024-10-02

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