‘White Noise’ Producer Uri Singer’s TaleFlick Platform Makes Hollywood Overture to Saudi Arabian Storytellers (EXCLUSIVE)

As a seasoned cinephile with a penchant for exploring diverse global cinematic landscapes, I find Uri Singer’s latest venture, TaleFlick, to be a breath of fresh air in the world of storytelling. Having spent years immersed in the intricate tapestry of Hollywood productions, it is truly refreshing to see someone leveraging that experience to bridge cultural gaps and foster collaboration.


TaleFlick, an online platform for discovering stories created by Uri Singer, producer of “White Noise”, and George Berry, a former Netflix executive, is now inviting poets to join. This expansion aims to embrace submissions that reflect the heart, history, and lively customs of Saudi Arabian culture.

In the Arab region, storytelling has been deeply rooted in oral tales and verse for generations. The aim behind launching TaleFlick, a platform that gives writers an opportunity to display their creativity to movie producers and studios, is to construct a link between the poetic masterpieces of Saudi Arabia and the glamour of Hollywood.

“In a statement to EbMaster, TaleFlick’s CEO emphasized that poetry forms the pulse of Saudi Arabian culture, striking a chord with its people and traditions. He explained that by showcasing poems, they intend to pay tribute and elevate this enchanting art form, offering a stage for these tales to be transformed into compelling visual narratives.”

By broadening its scope to encompass poetry from around the globe, TaleFlick now offers poets, including those from Saudi Arabia, an opportunity to showcase their distinctive voices and tales to a worldwide audience, as stated.

The poems sent to TaleFlick may be selected and exhibited to a group of film studios and producers, providing a distinctive chance for these poetic pieces to be transformed into movies, TV shows, or other visual narratives. Moreover, these submitted poems can be accessed by studios and producers globally.

As a fervent admirer, I’d like to share that the esteemed Singer has made it known that Saudi poems can be sent in Arabic, catering to our curation team’s linguistic expertise – a group comprising translators and poets hailing from the region themselves. Notably, this submission process comes without any charges attached.

Last year, the platform TaleFlick, initially established in 2018, broadened its reach to encompass non-English speaking regions. Now, it accepts submissions not only in English but also in Arabic, Spanish, Hindi, Japanese, and South Korean languages.

In the upcoming phase of this project, TaleFlick intends to choose participants from the poems submitted on the site, providing them with a chance to be part of a reality TV program titled “House of Poems,” as stated.

As a seasoned movie critic, I must confess that the concept of a talent show dedicated to poets is hardly groundbreaking, given the existence of “The Million’s Poet,” which can be likened to an “American Idol” for the Arab region’s poets, both male and female. This captivating series has been gracing Abu Dhabi TV since 2007, garnering a massive following across the Arab world with millions of viewers.

And of course ties are already in place between poetry and cinema in the region.

A contemporary blend of poetry and cinema in Saudi Arabia can be seen in Mohamed Al Salman’s offbeat drama “Raven Song,” which was submitted for the Academy Awards last year. This film tells the story of Nasser, a young man diagnosed with a brain tumor, who is encouraged by his closest friend to connect with an intriguing woman he adores through singing her a heartfelt poem as a declaration of love.

The filmmaker, who previously attended the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia last year and intends to return, is a renowned producer with a significant portfolio. He is recognized for his works such as “Marjorie Prime,” “White Noise,” and “Tesla.” His forthcoming ventures are said to be two movies set in the region; these include Palestinian director Maysaloun Hamoud’s long-awaited female revenge thriller “Beretta” and British director Jon Amiel’s Saudi oil origin story titled “Sands of Fortune.”

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2024-08-05 15:50