Hamzah Jamjoom: Bridging Cultures through Saudi Cinema

Hamzah Jamjoom is a Saudi Arabian-born, American-trained filmmaker and creator of thought-provoking films with international appeal. With over 16 years of professional experience, his work centers around clearing up misconceptions about the Middle East and bridging cultural gaps, but also turning every film set and studio into a big workshop to train local Saudi talents. 

Most recently, Jamjoom’s work received the Audience Award for Best Saudi Film at the Red Sea International Film Festival two years in a row for his films Rupture (which he directed in 2021) and How I Got There (which he coproduced in 2022), making him one of the most recognized filmmakers in the booming creative scene of Saudi Arabia. This interview takes place as he is on the set of Running Dry, his second feature film as a director. In it, he talks about his approach to making films, the creative process of dealing with stories, his training and PR roles, and his experience with funding from Saudi institutions.

Running Dry follows the story of a poor mechanic from rural Saudi Arabia who is lured overseas, only to be held captive by a sadistic drug lord. The film, which has an ecological subtext, is an action/crime thriller aiming to refresh the genre with its regional sensibilities and detailed psychology.

Jamjoom says his cinematic vision is rooted in personal inquiry and cultural reflection. Reflecting on the creative boom in Saudi Arabia around 2018: “I was looking for Saudi stories that fit my style of filmmaking, stories that I feel can do two things. One, they can answer a question that I’m really struggling with personally… The second criteria is, I wanted to do something with a commercial approach [allowing] more and more people to watch and connect with…an internationally attractive film.” Through his production company, Plot Point 1, Jamjoom’s mission is clear: to create international genre films that are distinctly infused with Arabian and, more specifically, Saudi culture.

Running Dry, produced by Abubakr Khan through Plot Point 1,  embodies these principles. The initial concept came from a friend, Waleed Al Sanad, during Jamjoom’s return to Saudi Arabia in 2018. Discussing his approach to storytelling, Jamjoom emphasized, “We know Saudis and Arabs love stories that are based on real events… Even though many people in the West and even some local distributors and producers think the Saudi audience only likes content that is cheesy slapstick comedy, I think the Arab viewer is very sophisticated and philosophical.” This philosophy underpins his depiction of the Arabian cultural legacy as a tradition of challenging minds through poetry, writing, and profound metaphor.

The central topic of Running Dry is water politics and water terrorism—a subject that resonates with Jamjoom’s broader personal reflections. He explained, “You control water, you control people, it’s as simple as that.” His fascination with water’s symbolic and existential significance deepened as he pondered its presence in religious texts and its essential yet elusive nature. “Why did God make it so that it’s a symbol of nothingness?” he asked, highlighting its lack of flavor, odor, or shape as profound contrasts to human-made creations, which are often shiny, heavy, and materialistic.

This reflection ties directly into the film’s broader themes, which grapple with the clash between materialism, capitalism, and cultural preservation. Jamjoom’s own journey as a father fueled his creative process. “I’m struggling with this concept as an adult and as a father… [on one hand] You have to make money and dress nice and buy this and buy that, but you also have to respect your Saudi culture.” This internal struggle becomes the thematic backbone of the film’s plot, which revolves around a father and son in a remote Saudi village. The father’s mission to dig for water symbolizes a commitment to tradition, while the son’s desire to escape to wealthier urban centers reflects modern materialist aspirations. “The moment we leave this land is the moment we lose our culture,” he noted, marking a pivotal idea that drives the story’s emotional core.

The son’s arc follows a classic narrative of disillusionment and rediscovery. “He wants to make money. He wants to get out of this poor village… It reflects what we’re all struggling with. We want to leave our culture.” The son’s journey into the world of materialism echoes Jamjoom’s own life experiences abroad, where he confronted the extremes of financial obsession. “I left my own country to seek money. Only to come to the most extreme materialistic world,” he reflected.

The narrative escalates as the son’s pursuit of wealth leads him into a dangerous, illegal business deal, landing him as a hostage. His captors use wells and water to control villages, mirroring the overarching theme of water politics. Ironically, the son’s captivity becomes a transformative experience, forcing him to learn the value of water and its deeper symbolic meaning. 

In addition, for Jamjoom filmmaking is more than entertainment — it’s a bridge between cultures. In his approach to storytelling, Jamjoom blends the rich context of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East with the universal appeal of thriller, action, and mystery genres. “Is there an exciting story? Is there a metaphor? And a theme that I can bring into it? Yes, then I’ll do it.”

“There are kind of two tracks for filmmakers or artists in general. I respect both but I lean towards one side,” he explains. “I understand why a lot of Saudis are making Saudi movies for Saudi audiences. I respect that. It’s cool, it’s good. But I am here to follow the traditional way of storytelling and move us to a financially viable way that has the longevity to live beyond me and this moment — which is to tell stories that cross borders, tell stories that are timeless, tell stories that bridge gaps between people.”

“If you study cinema history, such films are the ones which outlive their creators or even the birthplace of these movies,” he says. His goal is to craft “international genre films with a hint of Saudi flavour,” which means drawing on local narratives while ensuring their themes resonate with audiences worldwide. 

His experimentation with this approach in Rupture and How I Got There (the latter written and directed by Zeyad Alhusaini) has yielded positive results, demonstrating his ability to strike a delicate balance between local specificity and global relevance. However, he’s also mindful of the challenges that come with “making Saudi movies for Saudi people.” According to Jamjoom, there’s a risk of these films becoming “inside jokes” that fail to connect with wider audiences. 

He sees his mission extending beyond storytelling. Through his work with Plot Point 1 and Ascension Media Fund, he aims to challenge stereotypes and elevate Saudi voices in the international film industry. “From Day One, my mission has always been to use cinema to clear p misconceptions about who we are as a people.”

His efforts began long before the Saudi government recognized film’s potential as a “powerful tool.” For nearly two decades, he’s been engaged in shaping media products that dismantle negative narratives about Arabs and Muslims. This commitment is reflected in his diverse media projects, from commercials for Saudi Vision 2030 to music videos and IMAX productions.

Plot Point 1 serves as a key platform for his vision. In addition to its goal of “cleaning up misconceptions” about Arabs and Muslims, it’s also a space where industry opportunities are created for underrepresented voices. Meanwhile, the Ascension Media Fund amplifies these efforts by helping Arab filmmakers break into Hollywood.

On every film set and in every studio, one of the goals was to allow Saudi actors, crew members, and film students to gain hands-on experience in major international productions, positioning them for long-term success. “We’re taking in Saudi students and Saudi filmmakers and allowing them to shadow professionals in the U.S. or from around the world.” These efforts aim to establish lasting pathways for Arab talent to thrive in the global entertainment industry, he explained.

He achieved this in Rupture, as his crew got to work with Christopher Benstead, a BAFTA award winner for Best Sound and Academy Award winner for Best Sound Mixing on Alfonso Cuarón‘s Gravity. Similarly, Saudi actors from his movie got to work with top Hollywood star Billy Zane.

The same is happening with Running Dry, which will be shot in Turkey and Saudi Arabia with local crews and where the technical crew includes stunt coordinator Mark Henson, composer and music editor Christopher Benstead, costume designer Phaedra Dahdaleh, BAFTA-winning producer Lucan Toh, and veteran producer Stuart Sutherland. “We are also working with the casting director Nancy Nayor and have attached Golshifteh Farahani, Waleed Zuaiter, Baraa Alem for Safar, Naif Aldaferi, Houshang Touzie, and Nasser Memarzia,” he added. “The Saudi talent is going to catch up and learn from these mature industries in the U.S., UK, and even India and Turkey,” Jamjoom hopes.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has witnessed a seismic shift in its cultural landscape, with film production becoming a cornerstone of the country’s creative renaissance. Jamjoom’s experience with funding stands in stark contrast to the typical struggles faced by filmmakers around the world. “Around 2020, we started talking with the Ministry of Culture about making movies,” he explains. “I had the luxury of meeting Deputy Minister of Culture Hamed bin Mohammad Fayez, and everything was done in the most elegant, beautiful way.” This encounter laid the groundwork for the ministry’s support of his production company, Plot Point 1, and the funding of his film Running Dry.

Unlike the tiring pitching process that many American filmmakers endure, Jamjoom found himself in a privileged position. “For me, it’s an amazing luxury and privilege. The Saudi government believed in our success as Plot Point 1 and what we accomplished with Rupture and our work in the U.S.,” he says.

With the support of grants, Jamjoom gained the creative freedom to hire actors, choose locations, and fully realize his vision. The Ministry of Culture’s coordination with other government agencies, like the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Tourism, further streamlined the process. “I like how everybody’s talking to each other… Everyone is in alignment that we’ve got to support filmmakers,” he adds.

Though a good part of Running Dry is set in Iran, Jamjoom’s production team found a creative solution to the logistical challenges of filming there. “So far, we’ve shot the Iran scenes in Turkey,” he reveals. Turkey’s shared border with Iran provided the necessary geographical similarity, while Iranian consultants ensured authenticity. Local Persian communities in Turkey also played a part in bringing the Iranian scenes to life. “We shot almost half — 49% of the movie — in Turkey,” he explains. However, for the portions of the story that take place in Saudi Arabia, filming will happen on home soil, with production soon set to shift gears.

Jamjoom’s journey can be seen as reflection of Saudi Arabia’s growing film ecosystem. Key institutions like the Cultural Development Fund (CDF), the Saudi Film Commission, and the Red Sea Film Festival have all played pivotal roles. “The CDF is amazing. One of the best entities I’ve ever worked with,” he says. “They believed in the vision and the story, and they were the first to deliver the money.”

The Red Sea Film Festival has also been a crucial partner. Having won the audience award for Best Saudi Film at the festival, Jamjoom’s admiration is evident. “It’s one of my favorite film festivals in the world now.” Moreover, his discovery of locations like AlUla and NEOM — two of Saudi’s cinematic gems — through Red Sea Fund introductions highlights the synergy between the festival’s mission and the filmmaker’s vision. “I didn’t know these locations existed,” he admits. “The variety of locations — desert, mountains, greenery. It’s smart because it aligns with our agenda of showcasing Saudi Arabia’s geography for tourism.”

Jamjoom acknowledges some hiccups in the growing scene, but remains hopeful. “It’s a very, very new industry. Some of the stuff we’re requesting, they don’t know how to handle it yet,” he notes. Drawing on past experiences, he recalls participating in the American documentary Arabia 14 years ago, when the idea of blocking a street for filming was a foreign concept. “They didn’t have physical rules or regulations for it, but we worked with the local government and made it happen,” he says. This problem-solving spirit persists as Jamjoom’s work continues to pave the way for future generations of Saudi filmmakers.