Jackie Chan says he wants to make films in Saudi Arabia after being honoured with award in Riyadh
- The 65-year-old Hong Kong martial arts star receives the Joy Excellence Award in Riyadh where he rubs shoulders with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Jason Momoa
- Chan says he’s already found a location for filming car stunts and action scenes
Hong Kong martial arts idol Jackie Chan wants to make films in Saudi Arabia after being honoured with the Joy Excellence Award in Riyadh over the weekend.
Rubbing shoulders with fellow martial arts hero Jean-Claude Van Damme, Aquaman star Jason Momoa and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, the 65-year-old Chan made his first visit to the kingdom where a ban on cinemas was lifted last year as part of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s modernisation efforts.
The event raised eyebrows as it was held a year after the brutal killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, one of the kingdom’s most prominent writers and critics, who was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 last year.
Chan happily posed with his fellow stars at the Ritz-Carlton, which hosted the Joy Forum and awards were handed out to the stars by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Entertainment Authority.
The two-day festival was organised to help develop the entertainment industry in the kingdom.
The star of Rush Hour and The Foreigner took to the stage at the lavish ceremony and thanked Saudi Arabia for inviting him to the country, which hopes to become a leading regional film and television hub in Salman’s Vision 2030 plan.