Saudi filmmaker Sultan bin Mohammed receives international praise, featured in GQ

Saudi Arabian writer, director, and producer Sultan bin Mohammed Al Saud was recently featured in GQ Middle East’s “Four Arab Thought Leaders You Need To Know About,” where the New York Film Academy graduate discussed his work.

When it comes to his work ethic, Sultan told GQ that his goal is to do right by people.

“I would like to be able to elevate the people with me if I achieve any kind of success, and that directly informs how I carry out any business endeavors. It might not be the quickest way to the top, but it’s certainly the best,” he said.

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In 2016, Sultan wrote and directed a short film titled “Tradition,” which won several international awards, including the 2019 Hollywood Blood Horror Festival Award, the 2017 London Independent Film Awards, the 2016 New York Short Film Festival Award, and the 2016 NYC Indie Film Awards, according to his IMDb page.

“Sultan, my brother, is genuinely one of the most creative and talented people I know. Extremely PROUD of him and his idea of what success should look like,” Sultan’s brother, Talal Mohammed, said in a tweet.

“For those of you who don’t know, his short film, Tradition, won 10 international awards,” Talal added.

Horror films

“I am a massive fan of horror films,” Sultan said in his interview with GQ.

“There, time correlates directly to tension. I like it when I am able to stretch it to an uncomfortable level. It’s always the moment right before a decision that’s important to me… it also showcases the character’s mindset,” the filmmaker added.

The genre of his short film “Tradition” is both comedy and horror, and it tells the story of a boy who is given a crossbow for Christmas and discovers that his family has darker secrets than he ever thought possible.

Sultan told GQ he enjoys “pushing characters to extremes.”

“I did this with Tradition, a movie about a boy facing up to a gruesome family ritual – and whether he should keep it. It just connects with audiences and leads them to ask, ‘Would I make the same decision, too?’” he said.

Some of Sultan’s other works include producing “The O2,” a short sci-fi film, and longer films “Madinat AlMalahi” and “Everything Outside.”

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