Johnny Depp to deliver masterclass at Saudi Film Confex

The third edition of Saudi Film Confex kicks off in Riyadh today with actor Johnny Depp delivering a masterclass session.

Depp’s session is titled ‘The Genius of Embodying Different Roles’ and promises to explore “his ability to create timeless characters that have left a global impact on audiences.”

Depp has become a familiar figure at events within Saudi Arabia in recent years. The Red Sea Film Foundation backed Depp’s recent directorial effort, Modi, the biopic about the life of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, which played at San Sebastian Film Festival last year. The Red Sea Film Festival earlier provided post-production financing for period drama Jeanne du Barry which starred Depp and opened the Cannes Film Festival in 2023.

The third edition of Saudi Film Confex is taking place October 22-25 in Riyadh, under the theme “A Gathering That Transforms the Scene.”

Combining an exhibition, conference and workshops, it aims to support the growth of Saudi Arabia’s film industry by driving investment and strategic partnerships.

Saudi Film Confex is bringing together production and distribution companies through to technical and logistical service providers, as well as investors and funding institutions.

Around 130 local, regional, and international participants are exhibiting at the event this year.

Other speakers at the film business conference include Red Sea Fund head Emad Eskander, WME Independent co-head Alex Walton and Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF)‏ head of institutional banking Faisal Darwish, who are speaking on a panel on film financing and investment.

Meanwhile, Steve Plimsoll, the chief strategy officer of flagship Saudi AI firm Humain, is part of a panel discussing the impact of AI on post-production. Wholly owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Humain was launched in May by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to develop advanced Arabic language models.

The event is part of the Vision 2030 strategy for enhancing Saudi Arabia’s cultural and creative sectors.

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