Cinema returns to Riyadh
Jun 6th 2009, 3:57 pm
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Cinema returns to Riyadh
Cinema returns to Riyadh on Friday after 30 years
The Saudi capital of Riyadh witnessed on Friday a film show, the first of its kind since cinema was banned in the country three decades ago.
The film 'Manahi', a comedy starring Saudi actor Fayez Al Maliki was screened at the King Fahd Cultural Centre to a huge audience. The show is an important turning point in Saudi culture and society.
Rotana, owned by the Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, is screening the film in Saudi Arabia. The film was previously shown in Jeddah and Taif, and achieved unprecedented success by attracting a total of 25,000 male viewers and 9,000 female viewers, although some Islamic radicals opposed and tried to prevent the screening.
The hero of the movie, Al Maliki, told Gulf News that he receives daily threats on phone from Islamic militants, but he commended the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and the role it plays for protection of Islamic values of Saudi society. .
Al Maliki, who is very popular figure at the Gulf and Arab world as a leading comedian in Saudi Arabia, said that the film revolves around naive Bedouin who falls for a financial scam on the stock market in a bid to get rich quickly.
Pointing out that besides him, there were seven Saudi actors in the film in addition to two actresses, Mona Wassef, from Syria, and Rimaz, from Saudi Arabia. Al Maliki was hopeful that the film would "attract a large number of viewers in the coming days."
"It is time to present to the Saudi film screens at local theatres rather than let them go to Bahrain, Egypt and other countries to watch movies," he said.
Al Maliki admitted that 'Manahi' film was screened privately earlier in Riyadh city. "We had already screened the movie last month, i in the Literary Club. The attendance was then limited to a selected group of writers, intellectuals and critics”, he said.
“But this is the first time the film wascommercially shown to the public. Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal has decided to donate the returns of the film to the cancer patients in the Kingdom", he added.
For his part, Ebrahim Baddy, the Public Relations and Media Director of Rotana Company, said in a statement to Gulf News that they have received official permission from the Emirate of Riyadh Region and the Ministry of Culture and Information.
He added that it was not necessary to get an approval from the Organisation for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
"We will continue to display the film in Riyadh three days a week, namely, Saturday, Monday and Thursday, for two sessions per day, and the company will extend the show times if required."
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal had said earlier that there was no doubt the era of cinema screenings in Saudi Arabia would come soon.
The Arabian Business magazine rated last week Fayez Al Maliki as the second at Saudi Arabian level and the tenth at the Arab world level in the list of the 100 most influential figures in the Arab world.
Al Maliki said he received an award in this connection from the Prince Faisal Bin Khalid, Governor of Asir, before the magazine published its rating.
http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/sa.../10320282.html
The Saudi capital of Riyadh witnessed on Friday a film show, the first of its kind since cinema was banned in the country three decades ago.
The film 'Manahi', a comedy starring Saudi actor Fayez Al Maliki was screened at the King Fahd Cultural Centre to a huge audience. The show is an important turning point in Saudi culture and society.
Rotana, owned by the Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, is screening the film in Saudi Arabia. The film was previously shown in Jeddah and Taif, and achieved unprecedented success by attracting a total of 25,000 male viewers and 9,000 female viewers, although some Islamic radicals opposed and tried to prevent the screening.
The hero of the movie, Al Maliki, told Gulf News that he receives daily threats on phone from Islamic militants, but he commended the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and the role it plays for protection of Islamic values of Saudi society. .
Al Maliki, who is very popular figure at the Gulf and Arab world as a leading comedian in Saudi Arabia, said that the film revolves around naive Bedouin who falls for a financial scam on the stock market in a bid to get rich quickly.
Pointing out that besides him, there were seven Saudi actors in the film in addition to two actresses, Mona Wassef, from Syria, and Rimaz, from Saudi Arabia. Al Maliki was hopeful that the film would "attract a large number of viewers in the coming days."
"It is time to present to the Saudi film screens at local theatres rather than let them go to Bahrain, Egypt and other countries to watch movies," he said.
Al Maliki admitted that 'Manahi' film was screened privately earlier in Riyadh city. "We had already screened the movie last month, i in the Literary Club. The attendance was then limited to a selected group of writers, intellectuals and critics”, he said.
“But this is the first time the film wascommercially shown to the public. Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal has decided to donate the returns of the film to the cancer patients in the Kingdom", he added.
For his part, Ebrahim Baddy, the Public Relations and Media Director of Rotana Company, said in a statement to Gulf News that they have received official permission from the Emirate of Riyadh Region and the Ministry of Culture and Information.
He added that it was not necessary to get an approval from the Organisation for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
"We will continue to display the film in Riyadh three days a week, namely, Saturday, Monday and Thursday, for two sessions per day, and the company will extend the show times if required."
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal had said earlier that there was no doubt the era of cinema screenings in Saudi Arabia would come soon.
The Arabian Business magazine rated last week Fayez Al Maliki as the second at Saudi Arabian level and the tenth at the Arab world level in the list of the 100 most influential figures in the Arab world.
Al Maliki said he received an award in this connection from the Prince Faisal Bin Khalid, Governor of Asir, before the magazine published its rating.
http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/sa.../10320282.html
Jun 6th 2009, 4:49 pm
#2
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Re: Cinema returns to Riyadh
Why does he receive threats from militants?
I don't get it anyway actually, maybe I am the stupid naive westerner but can someone please explain to me what is so wrong with watching a movie in a cinema?
I don't get it anyway actually, maybe I am the stupid naive westerner but can someone please explain to me what is so wrong with watching a movie in a cinema?
Jun 6th 2009, 4:51 pm
#3
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Re: Cinema returns to Riyadh
Cinema returns to Riyadh on Friday after 30 years
The Saudi capital of Riyadh witnessed on Friday a film show, the first of its kind since cinema was banned in the country three decades ago.
The film 'Manahi', a comedy starring Saudi actor Fayez Al Maliki was screened at the King Fahd Cultural Centre to a huge audience. The show is an important turning point in Saudi culture and society.
Rotana, owned by the Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, is screening the film in Saudi Arabia. The film was previously shown in Jeddah and Taif, and achieved unprecedented success by attracting a total of 25,000 male viewers and 9,000 female viewers, although some Islamic radicals opposed and tried to prevent the screening.
The hero of the movie, Al Maliki, told Gulf News that he receives daily threats on phone from Islamic militants, but he commended the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and the role it plays for protection of Islamic values of Saudi society. .
Al Maliki, who is very popular figure at the Gulf and Arab world as a leading comedian in Saudi Arabia, said that the film revolves around naive Bedouin who falls for a financial scam on the stock market in a bid to get rich quickly.
Pointing out that besides him, there were seven Saudi actors in the film in addition to two actresses, Mona Wassef, from Syria, and Rimaz, from Saudi Arabia. Al Maliki was hopeful that the film would "attract a large number of viewers in the coming days."
"It is time to present to the Saudi film screens at local theatres rather than let them go to Bahrain, Egypt and other countries to watch movies," he said.
Al Maliki admitted that 'Manahi' film was screened privately earlier in Riyadh city. "We had already screened the movie last month, i in the Literary Club. The attendance was then limited to a selected group of writers, intellectuals and critics”, he said.
“But this is the first time the film wascommercially shown to the public. Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal has decided to donate the returns of the film to the cancer patients in the Kingdom", he added.
For his part, Ebrahim Baddy, the Public Relations and Media Director of Rotana Company, said in a statement to Gulf News that they have received official permission from the Emirate of Riyadh Region and the Ministry of Culture and Information.
He added that it was not necessary to get an approval from the Organisation for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
"We will continue to display the film in Riyadh three days a week, namely, Saturday, Monday and Thursday, for two sessions per day, and the company will extend the show times if required."
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal had said earlier that there was no doubt the era of cinema screenings in Saudi Arabia would come soon.
The Arabian Business magazine rated last week Fayez Al Maliki as the second at Saudi Arabian level and the tenth at the Arab world level in the list of the 100 most influential figures in the Arab world.
Al Maliki said he received an award in this connection from the Prince Faisal Bin Khalid, Governor of Asir, before the magazine published its rating.
http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/sa.../10320282.html
The Saudi capital of Riyadh witnessed on Friday a film show, the first of its kind since cinema was banned in the country three decades ago.
The film 'Manahi', a comedy starring Saudi actor Fayez Al Maliki was screened at the King Fahd Cultural Centre to a huge audience. The show is an important turning point in Saudi culture and society.
Rotana, owned by the Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, is screening the film in Saudi Arabia. The film was previously shown in Jeddah and Taif, and achieved unprecedented success by attracting a total of 25,000 male viewers and 9,000 female viewers, although some Islamic radicals opposed and tried to prevent the screening.
The hero of the movie, Al Maliki, told Gulf News that he receives daily threats on phone from Islamic militants, but he commended the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and the role it plays for protection of Islamic values of Saudi society. .
Al Maliki, who is very popular figure at the Gulf and Arab world as a leading comedian in Saudi Arabia, said that the film revolves around naive Bedouin who falls for a financial scam on the stock market in a bid to get rich quickly.
Pointing out that besides him, there were seven Saudi actors in the film in addition to two actresses, Mona Wassef, from Syria, and Rimaz, from Saudi Arabia. Al Maliki was hopeful that the film would "attract a large number of viewers in the coming days."
"It is time to present to the Saudi film screens at local theatres rather than let them go to Bahrain, Egypt and other countries to watch movies," he said.
Al Maliki admitted that 'Manahi' film was screened privately earlier in Riyadh city. "We had already screened the movie last month, i in the Literary Club. The attendance was then limited to a selected group of writers, intellectuals and critics”, he said.
“But this is the first time the film wascommercially shown to the public. Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal has decided to donate the returns of the film to the cancer patients in the Kingdom", he added.
For his part, Ebrahim Baddy, the Public Relations and Media Director of Rotana Company, said in a statement to Gulf News that they have received official permission from the Emirate of Riyadh Region and the Ministry of Culture and Information.
He added that it was not necessary to get an approval from the Organisation for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
"We will continue to display the film in Riyadh three days a week, namely, Saturday, Monday and Thursday, for two sessions per day, and the company will extend the show times if required."
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal had said earlier that there was no doubt the era of cinema screenings in Saudi Arabia would come soon.
The Arabian Business magazine rated last week Fayez Al Maliki as the second at Saudi Arabian level and the tenth at the Arab world level in the list of the 100 most influential figures in the Arab world.
Al Maliki said he received an award in this connection from the Prince Faisal Bin Khalid, Governor of Asir, before the magazine published its rating.
http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/sa.../10320282.html
Jun 6th 2009, 4:56 pm
#4
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Re: Cinema returns to Riyadh
Saudi adheres to the Wahabi version of Islam, very strict and austere.
I don't think you are naive or stupid, many people do not understand why certain things are not permitted, and others are seen as normal.....mostly those things happen for cultural or religious reasons.
Many of which are not agreed upon by moderately religious and culturally less restricted people.
Jun 6th 2009, 5:18 pm
#5
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Re: Cinema returns to Riyadh
Presumably the audience was segregated...sorry I couldn't be bothered to read the link in its entirety.
Jun 6th 2009, 5:38 pm
#6
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Re: Cinema returns to Riyadh
It is simply something that was not allowed, for many (imho, wrong ) reasons in Saudi.
Saudi adheres to the Wahabi version of Islam, very strict and austere.
I don't think you are naive or stupid, many people do not understand why certain things are not permitted, and others are seen as normal.....mostly those things happen for cultural or religious reasons.
Many of which are not agreed upon by moderately religious and culturally less restricted people.
Saudi adheres to the Wahabi version of Islam, very strict and austere.
I don't think you are naive or stupid, many people do not understand why certain things are not permitted, and others are seen as normal.....mostly those things happen for cultural or religious reasons.
Many of which are not agreed upon by moderately religious and culturally less restricted people.
Jun 6th 2009, 6:02 pm
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Re: Cinema returns to Riyadh
b. such events encourage "boys and girls" to mix
c. movies are a lewd invention from the West to morally corrupt others
d. movies may depict all that is not encouraged in Saudi
I suppose you get the gist......
These are some of the reasons why the Saudis that have the money to travel do so........
Jun 6th 2009, 6:12 pm
#8
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Re: Cinema returns to Riyadh
Alexa has given you a starter for ten.Why don't you go to Aikman's post about the Emirati lady publishing a book.Open the link and read her interview about men in Saudi.....Closed world, closed minds....
Jun 7th 2009, 5:58 am
#9
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Re: Cinema returns to Riyadh
ok, from what I understand, a. images of human beings and animals are not permitted.
b. such events encourage "boys and girls" to mix
c. movies are a lewd invention from the West to morally corrupt others
d. movies may depict all that is not encouraged in Saudi
I suppose you get the gist......
These are some of the reasons why the Saudis that have the money to travel do so........
b. such events encourage "boys and girls" to mix
c. movies are a lewd invention from the West to morally corrupt others
d. movies may depict all that is not encouraged in Saudi
I suppose you get the gist......
These are some of the reasons why the Saudis that have the money to travel do so........
After all DVDs and TV exists in Saudi...
Cinamas showing cartoons for Mothers and children have been in existence for a while I thought.
It is a small step in the right direction though.
Jun 7th 2009, 6:09 am
#10
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Re: Cinema returns to Riyadh
I think yes it is a step in the right direction.
Biut there are still a lot of resentment re this type of entertainment.
But yes still have orbit tv and dvd's etc so it is slowly moving in the right direction. but hey maybe not fast enough and certainly not in my lifetime.
Biut there are still a lot of resentment re this type of entertainment.
But yes still have orbit tv and dvd's etc so it is slowly moving in the right direction. but hey maybe not fast enough and certainly not in my lifetime.
Jun 7th 2009, 9:45 am
#11
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Re: Cinema returns to Riyadh
There was a law introduced in the 80's that gatherings of 12 or more people were not allowed.
The previous kings were very worried about people getting together to plot to assasinate them and take over, and rightly so.
We used to go to cinema evenings at the Brit embassy in Jeddah until the law came into force.
Good to see even a small concession to personal freedom.
King Abdullah is doing a lot of good for the country and it's citizens.
The previous kings were very worried about people getting together to plot to assasinate them and take over, and rightly so.
We used to go to cinema evenings at the Brit embassy in Jeddah until the law came into force.
Good to see even a small concession to personal freedom.
King Abdullah is doing a lot of good for the country and it's citizens.
Jun 7th 2009, 3:23 pm
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Re: Cinema returns to Riyadh
Taken from today's (UAE) Gulf news.
Saudi security forces thwarted efforts by Islamic militants in Saudi Arabia to prevent the screening of the film, Manahi, at the King Fahd Cultural Center.
The film has sparked protests from militants who threatened to stop the screening of the film, which they called a corruption and a sin.
The film was first shown in Riyadh on Friday, marking the first time in three decades that cinemas opened in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi citizens usually travel to the nearby countries, such as Bahrain, Kuwait and Egypt to watch Arab and foreign films.
Two militants had entered a cinema to try to stop a screening of the film and called film director Fayez Al Maliki a "leader of misguided people". Al Maliki also received threats via SMS, according to media reports.
However, despite the opposition, people continued to flock to the screening on Sunday.
On Saturday, activists launched an SMS campaign calling for support for opening of cinema halls in Saudi Arabia.
In their widely circulated message, the activists urged people to watch Manahi, which is the third film produced in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi security forces thwarted efforts by Islamic militants in Saudi Arabia to prevent the screening of the film, Manahi, at the King Fahd Cultural Center.
The film has sparked protests from militants who threatened to stop the screening of the film, which they called a corruption and a sin.
The film was first shown in Riyadh on Friday, marking the first time in three decades that cinemas opened in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi citizens usually travel to the nearby countries, such as Bahrain, Kuwait and Egypt to watch Arab and foreign films.
Two militants had entered a cinema to try to stop a screening of the film and called film director Fayez Al Maliki a "leader of misguided people". Al Maliki also received threats via SMS, according to media reports.
However, despite the opposition, people continued to flock to the screening on Sunday.
On Saturday, activists launched an SMS campaign calling for support for opening of cinema halls in Saudi Arabia.
In their widely circulated message, the activists urged people to watch Manahi, which is the third film produced in Saudi Arabia.
Jun 7th 2009, 3:44 pm
#13
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Re: Cinema returns to Riyadh
Taken from today's (UAE) Gulf news.
Saudi security forces thwarted efforts by Islamic militants in Saudi Arabia to prevent the screening of the film, Manahi, at the King Fahd Cultural Center.
The film has sparked protests from militants who threatened to stop the screening of the film, which they called a corruption and a sin.
The film was first shown in Riyadh on Friday, marking the first time in three decades that cinemas opened in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi citizens usually travel to the nearby countries, such as Bahrain, Kuwait and Egypt to watch Arab and foreign films.
Two militants had entered a cinema to try to stop a screening of the film and called film director Fayez Al Maliki a "leader of misguided people". Al Maliki also received threats via SMS, according to media reports.
However, despite the opposition, people continued to flock to the screening on Sunday.
On Saturday, activists launched an SMS campaign calling for support for opening of cinema halls in Saudi Arabia.
In their widely circulated message, the activists urged people to watch Manahi, which is the third film produced in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi security forces thwarted efforts by Islamic militants in Saudi Arabia to prevent the screening of the film, Manahi, at the King Fahd Cultural Center.
The film has sparked protests from militants who threatened to stop the screening of the film, which they called a corruption and a sin.
The film was first shown in Riyadh on Friday, marking the first time in three decades that cinemas opened in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi citizens usually travel to the nearby countries, such as Bahrain, Kuwait and Egypt to watch Arab and foreign films.
Two militants had entered a cinema to try to stop a screening of the film and called film director Fayez Al Maliki a "leader of misguided people". Al Maliki also received threats via SMS, according to media reports.
However, despite the opposition, people continued to flock to the screening on Sunday.
On Saturday, activists launched an SMS campaign calling for support for opening of cinema halls in Saudi Arabia.
In their widely circulated message, the activists urged people to watch Manahi, which is the third film produced in Saudi Arabia.
Lol, that reminds me of something....one day at the mall, prayer time was about to start, and everybody was going to the food outlets to order and sit out prayer time. while all were eating , the muttawa came and started to yell at people...which was totally ignored by everybody...I sat next to an Arabic lady and asked her what the Muttawa was saying...she just looked at them dismissively and told me to ignore them...they just are upset because people are not praying....so, already then, locals and expats alike ignored the muttawas....and now, the police is sent after them ....Way to go Saudi!
Must be very difficult for the king to balance all that....
Jun 7th 2009, 5:48 pm
#14
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 317
Re: Cinema returns to Riyadh
... i wouldn't go to a cinema there ... it's gonna go boooom ... mark my words