Saudi Arabia's revolutionary Telfaz11 studio announces satirical film 'Saify' featuring banned religious sermons

Saudi studio Telefaz11, the groundbreaking label behind the hit dark comedy “Mandoob” – in which a troubled man becomes a bootlegger in Riyadh – is set to push the kingdom’s cultural boundaries a little further with a humorous take on the world of Saudi Arabia’s ultraconservative clerics.

Telfaz11 announced that its next title will be the satirical drama “Saify”, directed by studio director Wael Abu Mansour and set in the late 1990s, a time when, incidentally, cinema was banned.

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“Saify” revolves around its main character, a man in his forties who “clings to the dream of quick riches despite his poor skills by hanging on to his small cassette store that sells banned religious sermons,” according to the synopsis provided.

In the 1990s, dozens of stores in Riyadh and other Saudi cities sold cassettes of recorded sermons, increasing the popularity of Muslim clerics. However, some religious sermons were banned, including those of Salman al-Odah, an influential religious figure known for his 1990s sermons “Come for Jihad” and “The Industry of Death,” which circulated clandestinely on audio cassettes throughout Saudi Arabia.

Telfaz11’s synopsis for “Saify” does not specify whether al-Odah is part of the film’s narrative; it simply states that the film will offer viewers “a gripping blend of satirical drama and suspense.”

“Saify” will mark Mansour’s second feature film following his atmospheric desert drama “Carnival City,” which premiered at the 2020 Red Sea International Film Festival.

Telfaz11 plans to release “Saify,” starring Osama Alqess (“Last Visit”), Aixa Kay, Baraa Alem, Nour Alkhadra and Husam AlHarthi, in Saudi cinemas later this year.

Since Saudi Arabia lifted its religious ban on cinema in late 2017, Telfaz11 has positioned itself at the forefront of the region’s film industry with a string of subversive blockbusters. In addition to “Mandoob,” the action comedy “Sattar” — which broke box-office records for a local title last year — and emerging director Meshal Al Jaser’s “Naga,” about a young woman who goes on a date and takes drugs in the desert, which made a splash at the 2023 Red Sea festival and is now streaming on Netflix.

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