By: Vickie J. Rubinson
Movie Mecca
Movie theaters are illegal in Saudi Arabia, but that won't stop the country's first annual film festival. The five-day, government approved event will feature selections from Saudi auteurs and their counterparts in other Arab states.
Movie Mecca
Movie theaters are illegal in Saudi Arabia, but that won't stop the country's first annual film festival. The five-day, government approved event will feature selections from Saudi auteurs and their counterparts in other Arab states.
At the festival starting May 20, men and women will be seated in different halls during the screenings. Under Saudi law, men and women are not permitted to be seen in public unless they are relatives.
Despite reservations of pro-conservatives, Saudis have started producing movies in recent years. Entertainment Company Rotana, owned by billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, produced in 2006 the first full length Saudi film. There is no cinema industry in Saudi Arabia and cinemas and theaters are non-existent. Prizes will be awarded for best short narrative, documentary and screenplay.
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