• Live
    • Audio Only
  • google plus
  • facebook
  • twitter
News > World

Saudi Arabia Lifts 35-Yr Old Cinema Ban, Calls It 'Watershed Moment'

  • FILE PHOTO: Saudis watch composer Yanni perform at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 3, 2017

    FILE PHOTO: Saudis watch composer Yanni perform at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 3, 2017 | Photo: Reuters

Published 11 December 2017
Opinion

 

But despite the ban, the kingdom has been able to host at least 4 film festivals in the recent past.

Saudi Arabia has announced that it will now issue permits to the commercial theatres, lifting a nearly 35-year-old ban on cinema. 

RELATED:
Saudi Arabia Allows Women to Drive in Very Small Concession

The decision is a part of the young crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030, a program designed to socially reform the country. 32-year-old crown prince stated the goal of the program was to increase household spending on cultural and entertainment activities in the oil-dependent kingdom from 2.9% to 6% by 2030.

The minister of Culture and Information, Awwad Alawwad, told the AFP, the decision to license cinemas was "central to the government's programme to encourage an open and rich domestic culture for Saudis."  

"This marks a watershed moment in the development of the cultural economy in the Kingdom," Alawwad added. "Opening cinemas will act as a catalyst for economic growth and diversification; by developing the broader cultural sector we will create new employment and training opportunities, as well as enriching the kingdom's entertainment options." 

Cinemas were banned during the 1970's by an ultra-conservative government as they considered movie theatres to be a corrupt influence and a potential threat to religious and cultural identity. 

Since then, people have used their television sets, DVD's or the internet as their primary sources of entertainment. 

But despite the ban, the kingdom has been able to host at least 4 film festivals in the recent past, the country has also seen an emergence of local independent movies, one of which even made its way to Oscars in 2017. 

The middle eastern country recently also announced lifting several other bans like women will now be able to drive, attend sports events, among others. People will also be able to participate in other entertainment events, like concerts starting in 2018. 

But it's worth noting that the 2016 Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum ranked the kingdom of Saudi Arabia 141 out of 144 countries on gender parity.

A large number of people from Saudi Arabia used to visit the neighboring UAE to go to see movies in theatres. 

"About 230,000 tourists from the kingdom went to the United Arab Emirates in the summer of 2010 simply for the sake of watching movies," the mayor of Riyadh, Prince Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf, told The National, earlier this year. "It shows that cinemas in the kingdom have become important," he added. 

The first movie theaters are slated to open in March 2018. 

Comment
0
Comments
Post with no comments.