First Look At Neom-Shot 1990s-Set Saudi Bedouin Drama ‘Hobel’

Saudi director Abdulaziz Alshlahei’s upcoming feature Hobel, about a Bedouin family living in isolation in the desert because its patriarch believes the end of the world is near, has unveiled first look images.

The drama is Alshlahei’s third feature and collaboration with writer Mufarrij Almajfel after Zero Distance and The Tambour of Retribution which was Saudi Arabia’s Best International Feature Film Entry for the 94th Academy Awards in 2021.

The allegorical picture is set in the 1990s, a pivotal period of change for Saudi Arabia triggered by the Gulf War, which saw the country briefly start to open-up to the outside world after years of isolation, sparking cultural and social clashes between long-standing traditions and new waves of change.

In the movie, the mother considers rebelling against the patriarch when a young daughter falls ill and needs medical treatment, sparking an urgent need to come out of isolation.

Hobal features a strong ensemble cast, led by veteran actor Ibrahim Al-Hassawi (Scales) as the patriarch Liam, Mishaal Almutairi (Forty Years and One Night) as the son, and Mila Alzahrani (The Perfect Candidate) as the mother.

Scheduled for release at home at the end of this year, the feature is produced by Shaf Studios, with Film Clinic and Peninsula Pictures Group as co-producers.

The film is produced by Sharif Almajali, with Abdulaziz Alshlahei, Mofarij Almujfel, and Mohamed Al Turki serving as executive producers.

It is also supported by the Daw’ Film Competition, the Saudi Film Commission, the Quality of Life Program, and NEOM, with the participation of various private sector partners.

The feature was shot in the Bajaddah Bajaddah Desert in Neom and parts of Remmah, near Riyadh.