EXCLUSIVE: Deadline can reveal the first official trailer for Image Nation Abu Dhabi, VOX Studios and MBC Studio’s upcoming fantasy romance feature HWJN, adapted from Saudi Arabian writer Ibraheem Abbas’ eponymous cult novel.
The feature is the most ambitious production to come down the pipeline from a partnership between the three major Gulf players, launched in Cannes in 2019, to create in-house film and TV premium content for the region.
HWJN became a literary phenomenon after it was published in Saudi Arabia in 2013, with its pioneering combination of Western sci-fi tropes and Arabic folklore proving a hit with readers.
The story is a mix of fantasy and romance and centres on kind-hearted jinn HWJN, who lives among humans in modern-day Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah.
His story unfolds as he embarks on an epic journey to reclaim his birthright, battling ancient evils to uphold the balance between his world and ours while developing an unexpected connection with Sawsan, a young medical student.
The new trailer promises a slick, high-end production that will chime with fans and wider audiences in the Gulf and MENA regions, and will also likely travel further afield.
The adaptation is directed by Iraqi Dubai-based director Yasir Al Yasiri (122, Kaboos), who also takes a producer credit under his Axx Productions banner.
The cast features a raft of rising Saudi actors, topped by Baraa Alem (The Sun of Gnosis, Route 10) , Nour Alkhadra (The Matchmaker), Nayef Althifery (Rashash) , Alanoud Saud (Blackmail Note, Boxing Girls) and Mohsen Mansour (207).
The release of the official trailer follows the unveiling of a teaser at the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) in December 2022.
An official release date has yet to be announced but given the film’s Jeddah-setting, the partners must surely be mulling an RSIFF launch.
