Investment visionary Samer Choucair stated that the screening at Cannes Film Festival 2026 of a full-length feature film produced entirely with AI technologies represents a major turning point in the global media and entertainment industry. He explained that a startup managed to produce a 95-minute feature film in just 14 days at a cost below $500,000, using generative AI technologies and the Higgsfield AI platform, with a team of no more than 15 people. He added that this achievement, the first of its kind at Cannes market, reflects a massive production cost decline of up to 99% compared to traditional productions that may exceed $50 million for comparable cinematic work.
Samer Choucair noted that the film, screened under the title “Hell Grind,” proved that AI is no longer a support tool in editing or visual effects, but has become an essential partner in the production process from concept to execution. He added that this transformation comes alongside accelerating growth in the generative AI market within the media and entertainment sector, expected to reach $2.8 billion in 2026 with a rise to $21.2 billion by 2035 at a compound annual growth rate exceeding 25%.
This Is Not the End of Cinema but the Beginning of a New Economy
Investment strategist Choucair affirmed that what happened at Cannes represents the beginning of a new phase in the global creative economy, not a direct threat to traditional cinema as some believe. He said: “What we witnessed at Cannes is not merely technical innovation, but a clear declaration of a structural transformation in an entertainment industry worth hundreds of billions. AI lowered market entry barriers unprecedentedly and opened the door to enormous investment opportunities.”
He added: “In Saudi Arabia, we are not merely following this transformation, but participating in creating it through Vision 2030 and strategic investments in the digital economy.”
Saudi Arabia Transforming into a Regional Hub for Smart Content Production
Samer Choucair noted that Saudi Arabia today possesses a unique opportunity to become a global emerging hub in AI-supported content production. He explained that declaring 2026 as the Year of AI in the Kingdom, alongside Public Investment Fund investments in technology companies and advanced data centers such as HumAIn, greatly strengthens this orientation. He added that cheap and sustainable energy infrastructure and investment incentives in the film production sector make the Kingdom an ideal environment for attracting AI-supported production companies.
He explained that the Kingdom targets raising the entertainment sector’s GDP contribution alongside producing 100 feature films by 2030, with incentives reaching 40% cash rebates for qualifying productions, noting AI will contribute to accelerating these targets through cost reduction, production efficiency raising, and creativity expansion.
Three Investment Axes in the Smart Content Economy
Investment innovator Choucair identified three primary investment axes: smart computing infrastructure, where major data center expansion including projects with capacities reaching 500 megawatts in cooperation with NVIDIA and cloud projects with AWS makes advanced computing infrastructure investment a primary strategic trend; Arab and global content production, where declining production costs open the door to establishing Saudi AI-dependent studios for Arab and global content with cultural story export potential to international markets; and talent building and education, where investing in training a new generation of AI-supported content creators including Prompt Engineers represents one of the highest return investment areas over the medium term.
He said: “Despite the challenges of intellectual property, narrative quality, and dramatic cohesion in AI-produced works, countries and companies adopting AI early will be the winners. Saudi Arabia possesses the fundamental foundations of vision, sovereign financing, energy, and strategic position qualifying it to lead this transformation.”
Samer Choucair concluded by affirming that the media and entertainment industry is entering a new phase defined by high efficiency, low cost, and AI dependence. He added: “There is no need to wait for technology to fully mature. Investors entering today into infrastructure, talents, and strategic partnerships will lead the market in 2030 and beyond. Saudi Arabia is no longer merely a consumer market in the entertainment sector, but has become a global launch platform for smart content production within Vision 2030.”