Mahmoud Sabbagh

Mahmoud Sabbagh, or Mah Sabbagh (Arabic: مَحْمُود صباغ; born March 1983) is a Saudi film director, producer, and screenwriter. Sabbagh has been a major pioneer of independent cinema in Saudi Arabia since 2013. His debut feature, titled Barakah Meets Barakah,[1] premiered at Berlin Film Festival in 2016; becoming the first feature film from Saudi Arabia to screen in the festival. His debut film was also selected as the entry of Saudi Arabia for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards.[2]

Mahmoud Sabbagh
محمود صباغ
Mahmoud Sabbagh at Berlinale 2017
Born (1983-03-27) 27 March 1983
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Alma materColumbia University
Occupation(s)film director, producer, screenwriter
Years active2013–present
Websitewww.mahsabbagh.net

In 2015, Sabbagh founded Elhoush Productions, the first independent feature film production company, based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Sabbagh opened the first official art house cinema in Jeddah in 2019. Cinema Elhoush opened with the screening of Stanley Kubrick's groundbreaking epic 2001: A Space Odyssey. [3] It resumed its program in Winter 2022 at Alula, with a collection of recent and classic films [4] Cinema Elhoush premiered a retrospective of Wong Kar-Wai screening five of his top films in 4k format for the first time in Saudi Arabia.

Sabbagh was named on the jury for the Best First Feature Award at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.[5]

Sabbagh is also known locally by the documentary The Story of Hamza Shehata (2013).[6] Sabbagh also created/directed the provocative TV/web drama series Cash (2014);[7] a 10-episodes drama series shot in cinema style. Sabbagh holds a master's degree of science from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where he studied storytelling filmmaking.

In October 2017, it was announced that Sabbagh is working on his second feature, titled: Amra and The Second Marriage. The film was shot entirely in Saudi Arabia and premiered in London BFI festival in 2018.

In March 2019, Sabbagh was announced the Festival Director of Saudi Arabia's first international film festival, The Red Sea Film Festival.

Filmography
  • Barakah Meets Barakah (2016). Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at Berlin Film Festival.[8]
  • Amra, and The Second Marriage (2018).
  • Glitch Love (2022).
  • Last Party in Rumah Desert (2023).

Further reading

References
  1. Variety Magazine 2016
  2. Variety Magazine 2016
  3. "First Art House Cinema Opens in Saudi Arabia". Hollywood Reporter. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  4. "Cinema El Housh Resumes at AlUla". Asharq Al Awsat. 16 Jan 2022. Retrieved 26 Jan 2022.
  5. "GWFF Best First Feature Award". Berlinale. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  6. Okaz Daily Archived 2014-03-22 at the Wayback Machine 2013
  7. Cash Series featured on Asharq Alawsat London daily 2014
  8. Berlinale 2016, The Awards Report 2016



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