Saudi Arabia to allow movie theatres to open after 35-year ban

Saudi Arabia announced Monday it willallow movie theatres to open in the conservative kingdom next year for the first timein more than 35 years.

It's the latest stark reversal in a county where movie theatres were shut down in the 1980s during a wave of ultraconservatism. Many of Saudi Arabia's clerics view Western movies andeven Arabic films made in Egypt and Lebanon as sinful.

Despite decades of ultraconservative dogma, Crown Prince Mohammedbin Salman has sought to ram through a numberof major socialreforms with support from his father, King Salman.

It's spectacular news. We are in a state of shock.- Saudiactor and producerHishamFageeh

The crown prince is behind measures such as lifting a ban onwomen driving next year and bringing back concerts and other formsof entertainment to satiate the desires of the country's majorityyoung population.

The 32-year-old heir to the throne's social push is part of hisso-called Vision 2030, a blueprint for the country that aims toboost local spending and create jobs amid sustained lower oilprices.

According to Monday's announcement, a resolution was passedpaving the way for licences to be granted to commercial movietheatres, with the first cinemas expected to open in March.

'We all took risks'

Many Saudis took to Twitter to express their joy at the news,posting images of buckets of movie theatre popcorn and movinggraphics of people dancing, fainting and crying.

"It's spectacular news. We are in a state of shock," said Saudiactor and producer Hisham Fageeh.

Fageeh starred in and co-produced the Saudi film Barakah MeetsBarakahby director Mahmoud Sabbagh, which premiered at the BerlinInternational Film Festival in February. The movie, which has beencalled the kingdom's first romantic comedy, tells the story of acivil servant who falls for a Saudi girl whose Instagram posts havemade her a local celebrity.

"We are essentially pioneers because we all took risks to workin this industry," he said. "We were super lucky because luck isalways a factor of whether we make it or not."

Even with the decades-long ban on movie theatres, Saudifilmmakers and movie buffs were able to circumvent traditional censors by streaming movies online and watching films on satelliteTV. Many also travel to neighbouring countries like Bahrain and theUnited Arab Emirates to go to movie theatres.

Despite there being no movie theatres in Saudi Arabia, youngSaudi filmmakers have received government support and recognition inrecent years.

The government has backed a Saudi film festival that's takenplace for the past few years in the eastern city of Dhahran. Thisyear, some 60 Saudi films were screened.

The film Wadjdamade history in 2013 by becoming the firstAcademy Award entry for Saudi Arabia, though it wasn't nominated forthe Oscars.

The movie follows the story of a 10-year-old girl whodreams of having a bicycle, just like boys have in herultraconservative neighbourhood where men and women are strictlysegregated and where boys and girls attend separate schools. Thefilm was written and directed by Saudi female director Haifaaal-Mansour, who shot the film entirely in the kingdom.

That film and BarakahMeets Barakah, though four years apart,tackle the issue of gender segregation in Saudi Arabia, whichremains largely enforced.

300 cinemas to be built

It was not immediately clear if movie theatres would havefamily-only sections, segregating women and families from male-onlyaudiences. Another unknown was whether most major Hollywood,Bollywood and Arabic movie releases would be shown in theatres andhow heavily edited the content will be.

The Ministry of Culture and Information said there are noadditional details available at this time, responding to a query
from The Associated Press. The government said it will announceregulations in the coming weeks.

Fageeh said that while he's concerned with the censorship rulesthat might be in place, he's also concerned that scenes of violenceare typically permitted on screens across the Arab world, but "anykind of intimacy and love is considered taboo and a moralviolation."

"It's a global conversation we need to have," he said.

The Saudi government says the opening of movie theatres willcontribute the equivalent of more than $30 billion Cdnto the economyand create more than 30,000 jobs by 2030. The kingdom says therewill be 300 cinemas with around 2,000 screens built in the countryby 2030.

Fageeh said it's important the government provides even greatersupport to local filmmakers now that international films willdominate theatres.

"There needs to be an effort to be cognizant and inclusive forthis element of local films or we will be completely flushed out because of the nature of capitalism and will be operating in themargins," he said.