Saudi films get rave reviews at Riyadh screening

RIYADH: The lights go out, the projector whirls and entertainment-starved Saudis sink into plush seats to soak up an experience they have been denied for decades — a trip to the cinema.

The rare movie night this week in Riyadh was a precursor to an expected formal lifting of the Kingdom’s ban on cinemas, long vilified as vulgar and sinful by hard-liners.

Following a decree allowing women to drive, authorities have hinted cinemas would soon be permitted as part of ambitious reforms for a post-oil era.

“Cinema is like the soul of Saudi society,” said Faisal Al-Harbi, director of “National Dialogue,” one of three short films screened to an audience packed into the capital’s King Fahd Cultural Center.

“It makes people see reality, a reflection of their own lives on screen.”

The cavernous hall was segregated by gender at the free screening — the latest in a series of shows since July.

A food truck hawking grilled burgers was parked outside and the audience was offered servings of Arab coffee in thimble-sized plastic cups.

Once the ban ends, medical student Sultan expects cinemas with all the trappings of the modern movie experience, including vending machines churning out popcorn and cotton candy.

“I expect the movie theaters will be crowded all the time,” the 19-yearold audience member said.

Reviving cinemas would represent a paradigm shift in the Kingdom, which is promoting entertainment as part of a sweeping reforms plan dubbed “Vision 2030.”

Saudi Arabia in recent months has organized concerts, a ComicCon pop culture festival and National Day celebrations that saw people dancing in the streets to thumping electronic music for the first time.

Saudi films have been making waves abroad, using the Internet to circumvent distribution channels.

“Without cinemas, the country’s rich artistic talent will die,” Hisham Fageeh, the film’s lead actor, told AFP. “Saudis need a nuanced cultural identity outside the prism of religion.”