Finally, the decision that remained silent for decades, despite the society's need for it, came, as the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Audiovisual Media in Saudi Arabia agreed to issue licenses for those wishing to open cinemas in the Kingdom. The decision is a victory for art, and a break from the restrictions of extremism that thwarted many important projects, as cinema represents a great economic return that was not justified in its absence from the Saudi arena. A healthy competitive environment, and contributes to the multiplicity of artistic fields capable of containing young people, meeting their needs and creating many job opportunities, with great economic return, and will lead us to social balance.
It is scheduled to start granting licenses after completing the preparation of the regulations for regulating audio-visual shows in public places, within a period not exceeding 90 days.
The Ministry of Culture and Information said, in a statement, that "the General Authority for Audiovisual Media will start preparing the steps for the necessary executive procedures to open cinemas in the Kingdom in its capacity as the regulator of the sector."
And she added, "The content of the shows will be subject to censorship in accordance with the standards of the Kingdom's media policy."
job opportunities
In its statement, the ministry expressed its hope that this step would contribute to the development of the economy of the cultural and media sector as a whole, and provide job opportunities in new fields for Saudis, and the possibility of education and training in order to acquire new skills.
It is noteworthy that the Audiovisual Media Authority has made great strides in studying the cinematic sector, and preparing the necessary executive frameworks to create an integrated cinematic experience in a way that is not limited to what is shown on screens, but rather provides a cultural and entertainment experience for all family members.
Informed sources expected that operating the cinema sector would increase the size of the media market, stimulate growth and economic diversification by contributing about 90 billion riyals to the gross domestic product, and creating more than 30,000 permanent jobs, in addition to more than 130,000 temporary jobs by 2030.
More details of the regulations and regulatory frameworks will be announced in the coming period.
The return of cinema
The decision also brought to mind the thirties, which witnessed the beginning of entering cinemas, and the beginnings were with the arrival of groups of Western experts to work in the California Arabian Oil Company, whose name was later transformed into “Aramco”, so they introduced cinemas to the Kingdom, in their closed residential complexes. In the city of Dhahran in the Eastern Province, and they continued to do so until the early seventies.
According to French film critic and historian Georges Sadoul in his famous book “The History of Cinema in the World” in 1965, cinema did not officially enter the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, despite its presence in the residential complexes of Western employees such as Aramco employees, which show the latest films at the time.
And Sadoul adds: “Saudi cinemas were opened during the seventies through sports clubs specifically for men only, and in some foreign embassies and famous homes, especially in Jeddah and Taif, but randomly lacking the necessary organization and preparation for watching, until they were finally closed later. Also, the Aramco employees’ neighborhoods in the Eastern Province have hosted cinemas since its inauguration until the present time, but the demand for them is not strong, due to the fact that entry is limited to Aramco employees and their families.
Content monitoring
And the cinema this time will not choose the content displayed randomly and in sites that are not prepared as was common at the time, but rather the content of the shows will be subject to censorship in accordance with the standards of the Kingdom’s media policy, and the shows will comply with the observed values and constants, including providing enriching and meaningful content that does not contradict Sharia provisions, and does not prejudice ethical considerations in the Kingdom.
Ahwash Jeddah Cinema
Cinema was available in Jeddah, as it started in the second floor of the Indian embassy, which was based in the “Bajnid” house in “Harat Al-Bahr”, or in special screenings in the homes of well-off people.
But cinema, as a mass feature, made its way in “Jeddah” through the pioneer of commercial cinema, “Fouad Jamjoom” in 1962, who provided a hall for exhibitions in “Al-Jamajima Alley” in the “Al-Baghdadiya” neighborhood, and opened a store next to it to rent cinema equipment, which he deliberately supplied to the rest of the entourage. Those engaged in cinema shows and individuals as well. Likewise, the yard of the “Al-Jamjoom” cinema in “Al-Baghdadiya” was not covered, with wooden chairs lined up in it, and the sessions in it were family, without distinction. By the standards of his time, it is the highest in price, unlike the other branches of the “Jamjoom” cinema, which was opened by “Fouad Jamjoom” with his brother “Abdul Aziz” in the “Bukhari” and “Bab Sharif” neighborhoods.
The show places, according to their contemporaries, were not halls, as they come to mind, or closed places as the show intended, but rather open spaces surrounded by houses with some simple barriers. Visitors spread out on their land, and some of them may be artistic by bringing several wooden chairs of a special style that suit the requirements of 3 consecutive hours. It extends from 7 to 10 pm every day surrounded by some simple decorations, then the display operations developed professionally in Al-Attas Hotel located in North Obhur. Among the most famous names known at the time for presenting cinematic performances, in addition to Jamjoom House, were Dar Muhammad Abu Safiya in Al-Hindawiya neighborhood, Siraj Sahahir in Al-Shati neighborhood, Abdullah Saleh Al-Ghamdi in Kilo 2, and Sufyan Fatani in Al-Amariya.
Riyadh Clubs Cinema
In Riyadh, the trend towards cinema and the demand for it was present and entrenched, as the attendance was large, filling primitive cinema halls in Jeddah, or those provided by sports clubs (Al-Hilal, Al-Nasr and Al-Shabab) between 1977 and 1983.
The owner of “Video Al-Diab” and one of the former officials of these halls says: “The demand for cinemas was great, and it became usual to see the hall full to the ground, so that if one day the hall happened to be empty of audiences, we faced a torrent of accountability from The management of the club asked about the quality of the films we brought, and whether they had been shown before in other clubs, or that the audience had seen them before. The administration always required us to bring something new in order to attract the public, and thus achieve the hoped-for financial gain.
Juice Street
This heavy presence of Saudi youth at the time is also confirmed by those close to the cinematic scene, which filled one of the halls of the old Al-Hilal Club headquarters on “Asarat” Street in the “Nasiriyah” neighborhood. Cinema projectors from the movie market in the “Al Murabba” neighborhood, and this continued for years that extended between 1977 and 1983.
Okaz (Jeddah) @okaz_online