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We’ve had genies of the playful, wish-granting “Thief of Baghdad” type, and more recently quite a number of evil djinn in horror movies. But it’s hard to recall a prior screen portrait of the same malleable Arabic mythological creatures quite like “Hwjn,” which takes the cuddlesome, anthropomorphic “They’re just like us, only magical!” view of Pixar animations and such in depicting modern-day jinn (the term’s more accurate translation) who invisibly live alongside humans.

Yasir Alyasiri’s visually appealing fantasy, which kicked off the Red Sea Film Fest, is at times too innocuous in tone and pedestrian in story ideas. But it’s nonetheless a slick, pleasant diversion that should attract viewers eager for an approximation of CGI-heavy western family entertainments, albeit with up-front Arabic cultural and Muslim religious emphases. The Saudi Arabia-United Arab Emirates coproduction opens commercially in S.A. on Jan. 4.

Drawn from sci-fi author...

Dubai-based Iraqi director Yasir Al-Yasiri’s “Hwjn” has been chosen as the opening film of Saudi Arabia’s upcoming Red Sea International Film Festival.

The fest’s third edition is set to run Nov. 30-Dec. 9 in Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore, which is also the city where “Hwjn” is set. The fantasy is based on the YA novel by Saudi writer Ibraheem Abbas which was a local literary phenomenon due to its pioneering combination of Western sci-fi tropes and Arabic culture and folklore.

Set in modern-day Jeddah, “Hwjn” follows the story of a kind-hearted jinn – as invisible creatures in pre-Islamic Arabia and later in Islamic culture and beliefs are known – as he discovers the truth about his royal lineage. The protagonist, named Baraa Alem, goes on an epic journey to reclaim his birthright and maintain his mental balance between the human and supernatural worlds.

“Hwjn” is one...

At the El Gouna Film Festival, Ahmed Fahmy’s iProductions has announced that three new feature films – “Abu Saddam,” “Have You Drunk From The Nile” and “Troubled Omar” – are to go into production from November and run to the end of next year.

Additionally, iProductions has announced that shooting has recommenced on their new fantasy drama television series “Wadi Al Jinn,” in collaboration with Viu platform, scheduled to premiere on Viu next year, and the building of new cinemas in Egypt.

“Have You Drunk From The Nile,” to be directed by Khaled Diab, heads the slate. The movie reunites the team behind Cannes entry “Clash,” with that film’s helmer Mohamed Diab as well as Sherine Diab co-scripting alongside the director. The crime caper stars Mostafa Khater and Hamdi El-Mirghani as two drug dealers who run off with a large shipment of heroin belonging to a crime kingpin.

Egyptian writer and director Nadine Khan,...