Nafisa Shams Academy for Arts and Crafts, an organization that is supported by the Community Jameel Saudi Foundation, has concluded the Costumes in Cinematic Production Initiative in collaboration with the Royal Commission for AlUla, represented by the Entrepreneurship Empowerment Center, Vibes AlUla. The initiative aimed to support women in launching their businesses by providing a comprehensive training program that kicked off in AlUla province in November 2023.
This initiative is aligned with the ongoing growth of the cinema and entertainment sectors in Saudi Arabia, leveraging the promising opportunities in these domains. The initiative played a vital role in supporting the film and television industry, which requires talent and innovation to create costumes that bring characters to life and reflect the director and author’s vision.
For a month and a half, the initiative targeted women passionate about tailoring and fashion design, with 15 female participants selected after completing the interview stage. The training program included courses in professional marketing, entrepreneurship, and fundamentals of cinematic costume design for 60 training hours. At the end of the program, the participants received certificates accredited by the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation. The designers also got the necessary support, tools, and subscriptions to establish their e-stores on local e-commerce platforms.
The program was designed to provide women with the skills required in the creative industry, developing the role of women in the emerging cinematic sector in Saudi Arabia. The initiative reflects Community Jameel Saudi’s focus on empowering women to achieve financial independence, create employment opportunities, and generate income, allowing them to contribute to sustainable development and building more inclusive and prosperous societies. It comes in line with Vision 2030, especially with regard to the Human Capacity Development Program which aims to enable Saudis to enter the fields required in the labor market, and the Quality-of-Life Program that seeks to localize the entertainment and cinema sectors in the Kingdom.
