Saudi Arabia to lift 35-year ban on cinemas

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Saudi Arabia is to allow cinemas to open for the first time in 35 years as it continues a push to overhaul its society and image after decades of hardline rule.

The first movie theatres will be opened by March and it is intended that up to 2,000 screens will be in place within 12 years.

Announcing the move on Monday, the culture minister, Awwad Alawwad, said: “This marks a watershed moment in the development of the cultural economy in the kingdom. 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.”

The announcement was widely welcomed but left some citizens worried that the breakneck speed of change would lead to a pushback in a country that for decades has been one of the world’s most culturally austere and restrictive.

“It’s spectacular news. We are in a state of shock,” said Hisham Fageeh, a Saudi actor and producer, but he expressed concern over censorship, as “any kind of intimacy and love is considered taboo and a moral violation”.

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