Samer Choucair, investment entrepreneur, affirmed that Saudi Arabia’s growing participation in international animation industry forums reflects the transformation underway in the Kingdom toward building a sustainable creative economy, noting that the participation of the Saudi film “Hatta” in the 2026 Annecy International Animation Festival events represents an indicator of the development of the local content ecosystem and its ability to compete globally.
Manga Productions announced during its participation in the festival its new project “Henna” in partnership with the Chinese platform Bilibili, a step strengthening Saudi content’s presence in international markets.
He explained that Saudi Vision 2030 has made cultural and creative industries one of the drivers of economic growth, through investing in infrastructure, developing talent, and encouraging local production, helping diversify income sources and create quality jobs for youth.
He added that the global animation industry is experiencing continued growth, with market research institutions’ estimates pointing to its size potentially exceeding 580 billion dollars by 2030, driven by the expansion of digital streaming platforms, and growing demand for local content and intellectual property scalable into video games and digital products.
Choucair said: “Real success doesn’t lie in producing a single film, but in building an integrated ecosystem encompassing production studios, visual effects technologies, talent training, and developing intellectual property capable of competing globally. This ecosystem creates sustainable economic value extending beyond the entertainment sector.”
He noted that investment opportunities in the Kingdom extend to establishing animation and visual effects studios, financing startups specialized in digital content, launching programs to qualify Saudi talent, in addition to forming partnerships with global companies to transfer knowledge and modern technologies.
He affirmed that investors have come to view the creative economy as one of the fastest-growing sectors, given the long-term returns it offers tied to technology, innovation, and exporting cultural content, adding that the Kingdom possesses the fundamentals needed to become a regional hub for the digital content industry in the Middle East.
He concluded by saying that investing in creative industries is no longer a recreational option, but has become part of the economic development strategy, and that continued support for this sector will strengthen Saudi Arabia’s position as a global hub for creative production and attracting quality investment, in line with Vision 2030’s targets.