Horizon Documentary Film

The Horizon Documentary Film is a Saudi documentary produced in 2023. It documents the diversity of wildlife and natural resources in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The film was launched by the "Saudi Treasures" initiative (Konoz), which is part of the Center for Government Communication at the Ministry of Media, in collaboration with the National Center for Wildlife.

The film aims to raise awareness about the environmental diversity in the Kingdom, highlight the varying geographical regions, showcase the efforts made to protect wildlife, preserve rare species, and introduce the natural features that include diverse plant and animal life.

The film captured scenes of various wildlife in natural environments, such as plains, mountains, seas, and valleys, as well as scenes of several animals, including dugongs (sea cows), dolphins, the Arabian leopard, different species of deer, and oryx. Additionally, it showcased the diversity of ecosystems in the Kingdom, the contrasting terrains, and diverse climates, which have contributed to the coexistence of around ten thousand species, each naturally adapting to its environment.

The film featured visual scenes that included five elements of ecosystems: seas, mountains, deserts, humans, and nature. The filming process took approximately two hundred days, with contributions from thirteen Saudi researchers specializing in wildlife. They worked on writing and reviewing the scientific material for the documentary. Additionally, a specialized crew of about fifty people traveled a distance of 4,700 km to twenty-eight locations across various regions of the Kingdom, including Riyadh, al-Ula, Tabuk, Taif, and Farasan Islands, to film the documentary. The film was presented in both Arabic and English. The documentary was displayed on Netflix, the screens of Saudia, and other international platforms.

The "Saudi Konoz" initiative, which launched the film, is one of the initiatives of the Center for Government Communication and one of the initiatives of the Human Capability Development Program, one of the Saudi Vision 2030 realization programs. It focuses on visually documenting Saudi treasures through the production of several documentary works, including: Ala Hadden Sawa (Alike), Nawras al-Arab (Arabian Gull), al-Fasl 295 (Chapter 295), Saudi Atlas, and What Do Saudis Eat.

Horizon documentary film won the prestigious Platinum Hermes International Creative Award for 2024, competing against several international works.

Hermes Award is an international American award managed by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP), an organization that oversees international competitions for professionals in marketing and communication, including those specializing in advertising, and audio, visual and printed campaigns. Since its inception, it has received approximately 325,000 entries from 135 countries.

The film also won the award for Best Film about the Kingdom’s environment at the tenth edition of the Saudi Film Festival (2024).

In 2024, the film received four silver awards at the Telly Awards in New York, in the categories of cinematography, nature and wildlife, general television series, and public information works.

Telly Awards were established in 1979 and are based in New York City, USA, to honor outstanding work in video, television, and visual creativity. They receive more than 13,000 entries annually from around the world, and winners are chosen based on excellence in areas such as branded content, commercials and marketing, interactive and mixed reality, series, television shows across digital platforms, showcases and clips, and social videos. Participants in Telly Awards are evaluated by a judging council consisting of over 250 experts from advertising agencies, production companies, and global television networks.