London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Nov 19, 2025

Eminent British filmmakers unveil plan to share Saudi life with international audience

Eminent British filmmakers unveil plan to share Saudi life with international audience

Two eminent British female filmmakers - Georgina Paget and Thembisa Cochrane - unveil their ambitious plan to share Saudi life with international audience with undertaking joint projects.
Speaking to Saudi Gazette, they revealed that they will shoot their first Saudi joint venture film, written and directed by well-known Saudi woman director Ahd Kamel, in Jeddah in 2022.

“We are keen on exchanging our international experience with Saudi women. We are excited so much to see that Saudi Arabia is changing tremendously and we would like to be part of that monumental change with sharing stories and inspiring Saudi women,” they said.

Paget and Cochrane are producers of “The Colour Room,” a British drama film, which was screened at Red Sea Gala Theatre here on Sunday evening. Kerry Fox, main actress of the film, also accompanied them to attend the Red Sea International Film Festival.

Paget and Cochrane said the film is made by women. “We are the producers and its Script Writer Claire Peate and Director Claire McCarthy are also women, and the story is also about women. If women have dreams and they have the willingness to realize these dreams with actions with the support of other women and members of the society, they can achieve beautiful things for everybody,” they said.

The British producers said it is fabulous to see many young Saudis coming forward to filmmaking industry. “It is incredible to be in the middle of a Saudi audience who are laughing and crying as they are actively engaging with films. The young volunteers are also very helpful to all those coming from outside the Kingdom, with enthusiastically guiding us all around.”

They heaped praise on the young filmmakers from Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region for their passion in filmmaking industry. “It is wonderful to see many young women directors from the Kingdom and the Arab region as well. A lot of films about women from the region and the international scenes are being screened at the festival,” they said.

On her part, Ahd Kamel told Saudi Gazette that the new film “My driver and I” tells the story of unusual friendship that she had with her Sudanese driver and its impact on her life. Referring to the Saudi project, Paget and Cochrane said that they are going to make the film in Jeddah in 2022.

The film sheds light on a young woman growing up in Jeddah in 1980s and 90s and becoming an artist focusing a little bit on the life of the Director Kamel herself who wrote the script and becoming the director too. “In the process of making preparations for the shoot, we are learning more about Saudi society as it is complex like any other society with consisting of people of all kinds. We learn more about each other apart from sharing the Saudi life with the international audience too,” they said.

The Colour Room is a ceramicist biopic, which highlights the pivotal idea that the modern woman is forward-looking and not backward-looking. The film is inspired by the life of history-making British ceramicist Clarice Cliff.

The film, directed by Claire McCarthy from a screenplay by Claire Peate, highlights the women’s struggle to be heard within what is otherwise a feel-good story of talent triumphant. Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor plays Cliff, who rose to prominence in the 1920s by introducing modern designs and colors to the traditional English pottery industry.

Potteries employed many women in largely menial roles, but Cliff managed to impress so much one eccentric factory owner with her ingenuity that she was allowed to design her own range and eventually run her own studio.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Caribbean Reparations Commission Seeks ‘Mutually Beneficial’ Justice from UK
EU Insists UK Must Contribute Financially for Access to Electricity Market and Broader Ties
UK to Outlaw Live-Event Ticket Resales Above Face Value
President Donald Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at White House to Seal Major Defence and Investment Deals
German Entertainment Icons Alice and Ellen Kessler Die Together at Age 89
UK Unveils Sweeping Asylum Reforms with 20-Year Settlement Wait and Conditional Status
UK Orders Twitter Hacker to Repay £4.1 Million Following 2020 High-Profile Breach
Popeyes UK Eyes Century Mark as Fried-Chicken Chain Accelerates Roll-out
Two-thirds of UK nurses report working while unwell amid staffing crisis
Britain to Reform Human-Rights Laws in Sweeping Asylum Policy Overhaul
Nearly Half of Job Losses Under Labour Government Affect UK Youth
UK Chancellor Reeves Eyes High-Value Home Levy in Budget to Raise Tens of Billions
UK Urges Poland to Choose Swedish Submarines in Multi-Billion € Defence Bid
US Border Czar Tom Homan Declares UK No Longer a ‘Friend’ Amid Intelligence Rift
UK Announces Reversal of Income Tax Hike Plans Ahead of Budget
Starmer Faces Mounting Turmoil as Leaked Briefings Ignite Leadership Plot Rumours
UK Commentator Sami Hamdi Returns Home After US Visa Revocation and Detention
UK Eyes Denmark-Style Asylum Rules in Major Migration Shift
UK Signals Intelligence Freeze Amid US Maritime Drug-Strike Campaign
TikTok Awards UK & Ireland 2025 Celebrates Top Creators Including Max Klymenko as Creator of the Year
UK Growth Nearly Stalls at 0.1% in Q3 as Cyberattack Halts Car Production
Apple Denied Permission to Appeal UK App Store Ruling, Faces Over £1bn Liability
UK Chooses Wylfa for First Small Modular Reactors, Drawing Sharp U.S. Objection
Starmer Faces Growing Labour Backlash as Briefing Sparks Authority Crisis
Reform UK Withdraws from BBC Documentary Amid Legal Storm Over Trump Speech Edit
UK Prime Minister Attempts to Reassert Authority Amid Internal Labour Leadership Drama
UK Upholds Firm Rules on Stablecoins to Shield Financial System
Brussels Divided as UK-EU Reset Stalls Over Budget Access
Prince Harry’s Remembrance Day Essay Expresses Strong Regret at Leaving Britain
UK Unemployment Hits 5% as Wage Growth Slows, Paving Way for Bank of England Rate Cut
Starmer Warns of Resurgent Racism in UK Politics as He Vows Child-Poverty Reforms
UK Grocery Inflation Slows to 4.7% as Supermarkets Launch Pre-Christmas Promotions
UK Government Backs the BBC amid Editing Scandal and Trump Threat of Legal Action
UK Assessment Mis-Estimated Fallout From Palestine Action Ban, Records Reveal
UK Halts Intelligence Sharing with US Amid Lethal Boat-Strike Concerns
King Charles III Leads Britain in Remembrance Sunday Tribute to War Dead
UK Retail Sales Growth Slows as Households Hold Back Ahead of Black Friday and Budget
Shell Pulls Out of Two UK Floating Wind Projects Amid Renewables Retreat
Viagogo Hit With £15 Million Tax Bill After HMRC Transfer-Pricing Inquiry
Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack Pinches UK GDP, Bank of England Says
UK and Germany Sound Alarm on Russian-Satellite Threat to Critical Infrastructure
Former Prince Andrew Faces U.S. Congressional Request for Testimony Amid Brexit of Royal Title
BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness Resign Amid Editing Controversy
Tom Cruise Arrives by Helicopter at UK Scientology Fundraiser Amid Local Protests
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson Face Fresh UK Probes Amid Royal Fallout
Mothers Link Teen Suicides to AI Chatbots in Growing Legal Battle
UK Government to Mirror Denmark’s Tough Immigration Framework in Major Policy Shift
UK Government Turns to Denmark-Style Immigration Reforms to Overhaul Border Rules
UK Chancellor Warned Against Cutting Insulation Funding as Budget Looms
UK Tenant Complaints Hit Record Levels as Rental Sector Faces Mounting Pressure
×