Glamouria

Mohammed Al Turki, Saudi Producer in Hollywood

May 21, 2012

I met him at a show last year, then again in New York few months ago…. Mohammed Al Turki, a Saudi producer working his way up in Hollywood. He’s very honest, and open… Very attached to his family and his culture… but has no fear talking about its issues… You will find him working on many charities, and trying to make a difference. Did I mention that he’s only 25 years old?!

You’re only 25. How did you achieve what you did so far, and got to being surrounded with all these celebrities at such a young age? I am shocked to know you’re just 25.

I studied Film, and being from the Middle East, films were a special part of my life, I would be watching American films. In Saudi Arabia, there is no cinema. So you watch videos. And as kids, we waited for the holidays, Christmas or Eid to travel, where movies were one of the main focus of your holiday.

What movie made you want to do movies yourself?

It’s not one movie. I always wanted to get into that film world, where there is a detachment between fantasy and reality; where you could forget about everything, watch the movie, enjoy it, and get something back: Whether it’s morals, or just excitement. A lot of movies do that for you, especially when you’re growing up, like the Disney cartoons that put you in a whole new world.. Then, growing up, I liked Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands. I liked the classics like “My Fair lady”, “The Sound of Music”… And then in university, when I was studying in London, I got introduced to European cinema, and Mexican cinema and Spanish cinema. Spanish Cinema is by far my favourite. In Hollywood movies, you forget about reality. You know there is Pedro Almodovar who’s an artist. He paints films. I admire his work. He does not focus on the commercial side of the movie. He does it purely because it’s arts, and if it works, it works. One of my favourite movies this year was his- The Skin I live In with Antonio Banderas. I also liked Y Tu Mamá También.

How did you make the move into Hollywood, and how were you able to make it “into the crowd”?

I was studying in London. It wasn’t the best school. It’s a good school, but not the best! A lot of friends who I grew up with were from Monaco, and Los Angeles. They either had a family member or someone in the industry. So I got to meet actors, TV personalities…

Also When I got into films, my father was very active in charities, not only Saudi Charities, but also International ones. He supported AMFAR Aids Research which Kenneth Cole, Madona, and Sharon Stone are all involved in. In the Middle East, you don’t want your name involved in charities when you’re Arab, you don’t do it for publicity. But then, It’s good to be seen in these events when you are in films, so I have been attending AMFAR for the past 4 years, and also the Elton John Aids Foundation Ball.

Maybe in the Middle East Aids is taboo.

Why didn’t you go to the best school?

Because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I went there, I heard it was not so hard; I got a double major. I was doing Business Management and Media Communications. At the same time Regent’s College is a school more like “The Gossip Girl” school or “Clueless” school. In terms where fashion, film, and luxury went around. Noelle Reno, went to school with me, and now she’s a famous designer, she invites me to her fashion shows, and I invite her to my premieres.

Then when I graduated, I did what every Arab person would do. I went back to Saudi and worked with my family. My sister is the owner of the franchise of Gymboree Play and Music in the Middle East, and my other sister, runs our company. My father is great. He told me I didn’t have to work with the family, and that I could work in the Corporate Communications department. So I worked on branding our projects. I worked with my sister, and launched this big thing where we combined our companies under one roof. We worked a lot with the media. Then when we finished this task, a friend of mine, who I knew from London, Zeina Durra- contacted me. She was working on a movie that she wrote, and asked me if I wanted to work with her. I have known her and she was my friend. I took time off work, then I found myself in Sundance, where the movie “The Imperialists Are Still Alive”- was official selection. It got great reviews, and since then my career took off. Now I am trying to do more films.

You’re already working with great actors?!

It was great. I was very blessed. My mother came with me to Sundance, to attend my premiere, Arbitrage, with Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon. she met him; she was very happy.

But we invest in films as well; we raise money in the Middle East, from different investors. We have a large market in Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. A lot of people want to be in the movie industry. There is a big company now, Image Nation in Abu Dhabi that invests in big movies like The Help, and Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Beaver”.

What’s your job exactly other than finding investors?

We find a project. We look for content. When we like the content, we think about actors that would suit the role. Then, we package it, actors, script, story, etc.. We go to investors, we hire people, scout for locations, get bank loans, insurance.. I think about it this way. Every single movie we do is like opening a company, we build it. Then, even when we finish the project, we are still working on it. We do the marketing, advertising… I work on independent films, so we try to sell the movie. We sold Arbitrage; we got guarantee 500 movie theatre in the US only. we also sold it in France, in Canada, Germany, and the UK…

What’s your favourite part of your job?

Watching the finished product.

… And the most challenging?

Being on set and being patient. If we have 30 days let’s say, we are not going to get one extra day, that’s it. Each day costs a lot of money. We try to stay within the budget, not to go higher or lower. We try to make people love it.

Is it hard to work with celebrities?

No, the people I have worked with were very nice, very sweet, and very humble. You know a true star when they are really humble and appreciative and love their job.

Are there any producers or actors in the Middle East that you would like to work with?

There is an Emirati friend, Director Ali Mostafa; he did the movie City of Life. It was in Arabic, English and Indian, and it focused on Dubai and the people who lived in it. It’s a great story. There is also Nadine Labaki. We were both at the lounge doing pictures, and Zeina was there. I had heard a lot about her. She introduced me to her. We got introduced, I told her that Caramel, her that I saw in Cannes, was one of my favourite films. I think it’s a shame that her film didn’t get an oscar nomination, but she’s on her way..

What are the message that you like to send in your movies?

One of the movies I am working on now is about Capitalism. A rich billionaire, who has everything, the money, the position, the wife, and the mistress.. but then you see, no one’s life is perfect. You see him involved in money laundering, in fraud… The world is not perfect. From the outside perspective, it looks perfect, but once you go in, it’s really not.

You told me previously you’re working on two upcoming projects?

Yes, one movie is with Dennis Quaid and Zac Effron- who is now doing the transition from a child star to an adult man … (He’s doing another movie, not mine, a movie called Paper Boy which I think will put him on the map, with Nicole Kidman).

We don’t have a title yet for the movie yet. We shot it in Iowa in Illinois and it’s done.

The second movie is “Adult World”, with Emma Roberts and John Cusack. It’s about a little girl who wants to be an author, but ends up working in an adult bookstore.

Did you meet Emma Roberts?

Yes… She is very nice and humble, and I think she will stay this way. She grew up in an environment with Julia Roberts…

Is she like her?

There is resemblance, yes, the smile.. And her dad is Eric Roberts…

Your dream work?

There is a project with Steven Spielberg.. Hopefully… To be honest, to be in this industry, and to have 4 films so far, get your films done, seen, and get distribution… This is just a dream! They did a list online, I think in Variety.. They were talking about the most aspiring movies of 2012, and it had 3 of mine! It got the untitled one, Arbitrage, and a movie that I had a small part in with Julianne Moore “The Amazing You”..

What do you think you will be doing in 10 years?

I hope everything goes well. The most important thing for me is to have my family supporting me, especially in the film industry. I have my dad who is supporting me no matter what. And even on the phone when I am worried he would say: “If you believe in it, we believe in it”. And he wouldn’t tell me he is proud, but his friends also tell me that he’s over the moon.

You’re involved in many charities. What’s a charity that’s close for your heart? What would you fight for?

My sister manages my father’s charities, The Saudi Cancer Foundation, The Saudi Organ Donation, The Diabetic Center, and A Saudi Annual Run. We close the city and run, every year for different purposes, Down Syndrome, Drug Addiction, Broken Homes. .

Personally, I would fight for world peace, I would fight for Broken Homes, for education; a lot of kids are victims, I want them to speak up and be heard. And in films, you could have their voices heard.

I also got involved and I am very proud in Cinema for Peace. We had an inaugural event during the Golden Globes, and we were honoring Sean Penn for his Haiti efforts, and we raised 5 million dollars in 2 hours! We were 5 people to host the event, and I was one of them.. To have everyone in the room, Georges Clooney, Leonardo DICaprio, Julia Roberts, Salma Hayaek, all donating their money… Then Oprah told us whatever donation we get, she would double it. We raised 2.5 million, and she gave us 2.5 millions. It was great, really! Sean Penn is very involved in Haiti. He auctioned trips of himself to go there. And Bono gave his guitar.

Why do think you are being so blessed?

I think it’s my mother’s prayers. We believe in so many things in the Middle East. We believe in the eye, in prayers.. I do pray.. I am not perfect, I had some ups and downs. I went out a lot growing up. My family enjoys life. I was exposed to a lot of things at a young age.

What scares you the most, things that you were exposed to?

At university, I have seen alcohol abuse, I have seen my friend who had drug problems. And one of my friends passed away. This person is not here to see what it did to his family. But his person has a mother, a father, whose life is not going to be the same… My friend was Lebanese and died from overdose. So choose the right friends, not be seen in certain circles, just to be careful. When we have problems and we don’t feel comfortable, in my family, we talk about it. We have to learn to talk, not to keep it to ourselves. Whitney Houston died. She drowned. She was such a talented person. I would like to be involved in charities that raise awareness about drug abuse. Drugs will always be there, whether in the Middle East, Asia or America..

So what’s your advice for the parents?

Parents have to be very open minded. If your children have a talent, believe in them. Even if they try and they don’t succeed, they have nothing to loose. For me it was a trial. “Go do your first movie”, expecting me to do my first movie and come back. My parents are in shock, because I actually made money from movies!

Is your age an advantage or disadvantage in this field?

It’s an advantage. We are the new generation.

I am on twitter and I update a lot. I used to write things that were not necessary, now I don’t.

Is being Saudi an advantage or disadvantage in Hollywood?

An advantage, because Hollywood is a global cosmopolitan place. You have people from all over the world. Hollywood is accepting to minorities, African American, Latins, Persians,.. They don’t really think I am Middle Eastern when they meet me, but they are open to it in Hollywood, it doesn’t bother them. I also did a movie, a reality horror. I get offers for roles, Middle Eastern are in demand in Hollywood. There are lots of Pro Arabs film, and other films where Arabs are the villains.

but I have to admit, sometimes it’s also a disadvantage because when you say Saudi, they think of oil, money, and they think you’re not educated. Then you start referencing films, and talking about Fellini, etc.. They are impressed.. We have Egyptian movies, Arabic movies..

My last question has to be about fashion… I checked your pictures online, you’re a fashionista… Tell me about your style?

I have a taste that is expensive. One of my favourite designers is Tom Ford. I liked him since he was with Gucci, and now that he opened his store too, I love him even more. And I love his “3oud” fragrances.

FOLLOW MOHAMMED AL TURKI ON TWITTER @M_ALTURKI

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