Less than four years after lifting a cinema ban, Saudi Arabia is hosting its first major film festival in 2021 as it sees a lucrative new industry. Film houses were banned from operating in Saudi Arabia for decades until April 2018, but for 10 days starting December 6, 2021 actors and directors stepped on the red carpet at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah. The festival kicks off a day after Jeddah hosted its first Formula One Grand Prix, which is also an attempt to portray Saudi Arabia in a different light. The festival features 138 feature-length and short films from 67 countries in more than 30 languages. These include Bassel Ghandour's The Alleys, and non-Arabic films including Cyrano and Joe Wright's '83, the story of India's victory at the 1983 cricket World Cup. The festival was also held in honor of Haifaa Al Mansour, female director. The first Saudi, who created the film Wadjda in 2012, winner of several international awards. The rise of Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in 2017 led to a number of reforms.
"The thought of hosting a film festival in Saudi Arabia was unimaginable five years ago," said Egyptian art critic Mohamed Abdel Rahman.
The festival also targets the growing market for film production and consumption in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's annual box office is forecast to reach $950 million by 2030, according to a report by multinational accounting firm PwC. It is estimated that Saudi Arabia's estimated population of nearly 40 million can absorb up to 2,600 cinema screens.
Saudi Arabian film moves in the underground industry
Social shifts in conservative Gulf state Saudi Arabia include lifting a ban on women driving and allowing mixed-gender concerts and other events, even as a crackdown on protests persists.
"Before cinemas reopened in 2018, the industry was working underground," said Saudi director Ahmed Al Mulla, who has organized the annual Saudi Film Festival in the city of Dammam since 2008.
"There is no ability to film or get financing. It all depends on individual efforts."
Industry observers say Saudi Arabia's film sector still lacks expertise and investment, but some big projects are now starting to become a reality. MBC Studios, the production arm of Saudi-owned Arab media giant MBC Group, went online in 2018 on a big budget. They are currently shooting the action film Desert Warrior in the Neom region, also in the Red Sea.
"However, it's not just about big budgets. The film industry requires a high standard of freedom of expression from featuring women to the freedom to discuss different topics", said Al Mulla.
"Cinema is a soft force that can pave the way for the successful social and economic changes that are taking place in Saudi Arabia."
Saudi Arabia has for decades had a strict Islamic image, and despite modernization drives, social restrictions remain in place.
"Film is not just an art but needs to be transformed into a culture in Saudi Arabia," said Al Mulla.
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