ARRI awards Stage Accreditation to Al-Hisn Big Time Studios

Saudi Arabia:

Located west of Riyadh and inaugurated by the chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority (GEA), His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, the Al-Hisn Big Time Studios is one of the largest and most modern studios for film and television production in the Middle East. The studios are a key component of Saudi Arabia’s broader “Vision 2030” initiative to diversify its economy and boost the entertainment sector in the region.

The Al-Hisn Big Time Studios is ARRI’s largest virtual production project to date, and the first ARRI accredited virtual production stage in the region. Working alongside entertainment and hospitality expert Sela, ARRI was tasked with the overall consulting, design, construction and workflow integration.

The Al-Hisn Big Time Studios complex features several studio buildings covering an area of 10,500m²; the total project area measures 300,000m². Key features of the VP volume include a 15m 360° turntable, an overhead rain system and more than 300m² of LED panels. Stage A, a multi-use studio space, spans 5,000m² and can be divided into three studios with movable partitions and features an indoor water tank. Stage B houses a dedicated museum showcasing the history of ARRI with a collection of vintage equipment. The production village of the complex also includes a 50m x 50m outdoor pool with a 3m depth designed for filming outdoor aquatic scenes and an open backlot village area that extends over 150,000m². Other facilities include suites, film production offices and fully equipped editing rooms.

As part of the Joy Forum, a global entertainment and media conference held in Riyadh under the umbrella of the GEA, ARRI presented its Stage Accreditation to His Excellency Turki Alalshikh. Upon presenting the certificate and award on ARRI’s booth, Kevin Schwutke, SVP corporate development, brand and new business ARRI Group, and responsible for ARRI’s partnership with GEA and Sela, remarked: “It has been an incredible honour to be part of this ground-breaking project in Riyadh. I would like to thank our partners at the General Entertainment Authority, Sela, Al-Hisn Big Time Studios and specifically His Excellency Turki Alalshikh for their trust and passion that made this vision a reality.”

The studios are equipped with the latest lighting and camera technology from ARRI, including ALEXA 35, SkyPanel X, Orbiter and Signature Zoom lenses. The ARRI Stage Accreditation is a global certification that sets the benchmark for excellence in virtual production. Designed to build trust and highlight superior technical standards, it recognises studios – whether newly built by ARRI or independently developed – that meet ARRI’s rigorous criteria for image quality, studio design and workflow reliability.