Are there cinemas in riyadh

And a few Saudis have started making films, including the critically acclaimed Wadjda and a romantic comedy, Barakah Meets Barakah. When oil wealth is down and the country is searching for new economic sectors to develop, there's an obvious economic argument for opening up the entertainment sector - and bringing that money back home where it can create jobs.

Indeed, the first cinemas opening in Saudi Arabia are in fact owned by the government's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, in partnership with international chain AMC.

The government is not just permitting cinemas, but hoping to profit from them. Instead of asking: "Why now? But the ban was never just about public opinion - conservative social policy was designed in part to appease influential clerics. This informal bargain saw clerics mostly preach obedience to the ruler, gaining sweeping influence over social life and family law in return.

The political and social role of those clerics is now changing. Yes, the state appointed clerics are still in place, voicing conservative views, but they defer to the decisions of political leaders. More stories like this :. In , the grand mufti was quoted as saying that cinemas might broadcast "shameless and immoral" films and that cinemas would encourage the mixing of the sexes.

Once, this would have put paid to the debate. But no longer. Since the founding of the country, clerics were seen as important opinion-formers who could help ensure social consent or deference to the rulers. But the societal influence of clerics also meant that when clerics did dissent, they could move significant sections of the public with them. The current leadership thinks that empowered clerics can be politically dangerous - whether they inspire Islamist extremists, or more peaceful demands for political power-sharing.

The government is signalling that they will have less power and influence than in the past. Thus, this week's premiere in Riyadh shows that entertainment and leisure can reveal deep political, economic and social shifts.

About this piece. This analysis piece was commissioned by the BBC from an expert working for an outside organisation. Jane Kinninmont is a senior research fellow and deputy head of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, which describes itself as an independent policy institute.

Follow her at janekinninmont. First Saudi cinemas in decades to reopen. Saudi Arabia hosts first women's cycle race. With French help, Saudis to embrace opera. Though many in the audience had never lived in the country before the ban on cinemas, they know that this is no small step for the local culture.

Thirty-five years earlier, going to the movie theater was much simpler, just like in any other country. This coincided with the growing ultra-conservative sentiments across the Kingdom in the late s and early s, which was mainly triggered by an attempt to overthrow the royal family in Mecca, as well as the Shiite Islamic revolution in Iran. At the time, banning cinemas came into place alongside a series of rules regarding dress code and gender segregation in public.

In the years that followed, the lack of infrastructure suitable to establish cinemas made it seem even more difficult for individuals and businesses to challenge the status quo by trying to build new film houses. In the meantime, foreign embassies and private clubs in the Kingdom occasionally conducted events that included movie screenings.

The local media and the press also started supporting the idea and calling for a reconsideration of the ban on cinemas. With time, many Saudis started developing a taste for movies. A number of local universities also started to offer film-making and storytelling courses, while some students were sent abroad to study the subject. In time, a vibrant community of aspiring filmmakers started to develop locally.

When a group of film-makers from Saudi Arabia launched Telfaz11, an online platform that produces and showcases Saudi films, their work was widely welcomed by Saudis as well as by other Arabs. The popularity of these Saudi films played a big role in pushing the return of cinemas up the priority list.

With these developments unfolding in the film industry, the demand for the return of local cinemas grew stronger. We and our partners use cookies to better understand your needs, improve performance and provide you with personalised content and advertisements.

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