Looking back on his three decades at the global box office, superstar Will Smith has developed a winning formula: if you want to conquer international markets, silence is often crucial.

“As soon as people have to read or translate a subtitle, there’s a little bit of a disruption,” says Smith. “So generally, if you can find non-dialogue ways (to convey an emotional beat), they translate more globally. In terms of action, in terms of comedy and in terms of conveying emotions, I’m always looking for the non-dialogue way to convey the most critical parts.

Smith shared his insights at this year’s Saudi Film Confex, a trade conference in Riyadh where the Oscar-winning star was guest of honour. And aside from the fact that Smith’s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” recently became Saudi Arabia’s highest-grossing film of all time, the actor’s presence in Riyadh had broader auspices.

After decades in limbo, the Saudi film industry is more than making up for lost time, with the local production, distribution and exhibition sectors all experiencing rapid growth. This growth – and with it the evergreen privilege that great potential leads to greater responsibility – underlined and informed all the conversations at the Confex, which took place from October 9 to 12.

The second edition of Confex included more than 30 panel discussions, 15 workshops and an exhibition covering more than 16 areas of the film value chain, all of which together provided a snapshot of an emerging industry defining its identity and ambitions in real time. The many panelists pointed to opportunities that include AI workflows and popular animation – with a number of successful manga adaptations pointing to Saudi-Japanese collaboration as a promising avenue.

And almost all of them aimed at mass appeal.

In recent months, homegrown hits like ‘Mandoob’ have driven local success towards international releases in France and Britain, as have adventure films like ‘Hajjan’ – from Cannes-acclaimed author Abu Bakr Shawky (‘Yomeddine’). – appeared on Saudi screens after a world war. premiere in Toronto. (Another recent success is the action satire “Shabab Albomb,” an adaptation of the cult TV series “Firecrackers Youth” from a decade ago.)

This excellent record has helped the domestic industry to flourish, leading to record attendance at this year’s Saudi Film Confex, which expected 65,000 participants and welcomed another 5,000, and resulted in 25 signed agreements for an amount of $60 million. This local growth has only fueled the appetite for international expansion – which brings us back to a certain guest of honor with a smart take on that particular problem.

Indeed, more than many of his colleagues, Smith has always been remarkably candid about the machinations and logistics of global reach, often likening his position to that of a diplomat or ambassador.

“As a movie star you cultivate a specific global relationship,” he explains. “You take the audience into account and you contribute (and do) to your relationship with a more holistic view of the company.”

“There’s a local aesthetic and a global aesthetic,” says Smith, pointing to the rise of Korean cinema as a more contemporary example of the latter and to his own childhood fascination with Bruce Lee as an earlier version.

“Bruce Lee was the only thing I knew about China when I was 10 years old,” he says. “Bruce Lee introduced me to Chinese culture, and I wanted to be like (him). So I would say: who is willing (to do the same)? Who is going to step up and be the person who brings their culture to the world?”

Of course, charismatic idols wouldn’t be enough to pave an international path, as the actor made clear. Instead, local filmmakers should emphasize universal themes and universal forms, striking a precise – and often challenging – balance between authenticity and accessibility, language and all.

That particular line was echoed in many of the Confex panels, especially those that emphasized cinema’s power in soft diplomacy. Rather than competing with Hollywood, many Saudi filmmakers want to offer a corrective – especially to the overwhelmingly negative light that too often shines on the Arab world.

Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Saud, former head of Saudi intelligence and former ambassador to both Britain and the US, praised cinema’s potential for just that kind of positive cultural diplomacy during a Confex panel attended by the inaugural and the country’s current Minister of Culture. Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud.

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” the Crown Prince said, echoing the same advice from the former prince, before recalling director Agusti Villaronga’s young King Faisal biopic, “Born a King.”

Released at the regional box office in 2019, this Spanish-British co-production was the first large-scale international feature film to be shot in the Kingdom and relied on local cast and crew as early as 2017. Less than a decade later, the domestic industry now has the incentives and infrastructure to develop, finance and produce and distribute such titles in-house – and with all that comes with it, the hunger to take those commercial works worldwide.

“You’re at an unprecedented point,” Smith said encouragingly. “This is a unique and rare opportunity where the world is waiting to see what you do and waiting to hear what you say. I would say: take it seriously. You have the resources, you have the support, you have the history, now is the time to deliver.”