A Thirty-Five Year Hiatus, Broken
- Kanza Zafar
- Dec 23, 2017
- 2 min read
Saudi Arabia is ready to break its long- term precedent by lifting the ban on public cinemas after 35 years. The cinemas are expected to be opened on March, 2018.
Silver screens were prohibited in the 1980s as they were viewed as a danger to religious and cultural identity. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been driving a program of social and financial changes under the umbrella of Vision 2030 and cancelling the film ban is part of that drive.
Dr. Awwad bin Saleh Al-Awwad, minister of culture and information, announced this move. He said that government will start the process of licensing for cinema operators in the time period of 90 days.
It won't be a free-for-all, and the sort of movies that will be screened will be confined to certain boundaries. The Ministry of Culture and Information has said that movies "will be subject to censorship according to media policy standards of the kingdom”.
This declaration was generally welcomed, however, it stressed to the people that the very fast speed of progress can receive a pushback in the nation as these things had been banned for a considerable length of time.
Hisham Fageeh, a Saudi actor and producer was in a state of shock after this news, yet he showed concern over control as any sort of physically or sexually intimate scenes are viewed as forbidden and an ethical infringement.
The purpose behind this change is to fortify the developmental process in cultural and entertainment sector also. Music shows currently are ending up common in Saudi Arabia, and the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) advances an extensive variety of occasions in urban areas around the nation.
The improvement of the residential recreation industry may convince Saudis to spend more cash inside the kingdom, instead of spending a large amount in surrounding regions. The Saudi government evaluates that the cinemas will contribute more to the nation's economy by 2030, creating permanent and temporary vacancies, hence providing opportunities to many people.
Some film festivals have been conducted in the country in recent years, in spite of the ban. Local directors produced remarkable films that have been very successful globally. These films include the 2012 film Wadjda by director Haifaa al-Mansour and, more recently, Barakah Meets Barakah by director Mahmoud Sabbagh.
Among other late changes, administration declared in September that ladies would finally be permitted to drive. Recently the plan of the development of Red Sea Resort on the west coast is also part of the reforms.
Cinema owners have been watching out for advancements, and many ought to be prepared to rapidly take advantage of the most recent change. Shopping center administrator of Arabian Malls said that they allotted space for work-in-progress cinemas in up to 10 shopping centers.
The most exciting part is instead of Hollywood or Bollywood, Lollywood film Parchi, an action-thriller, will be the first one to hit the cinemas of Saudi Arabia. For confirmation, an email has been sent to the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information but no response has been received yet.
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