JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia began screening feature-length animated children’s films this weekend in a makeshift theater, after a 35-year-old ban on cinemas was lifted in the conservative Islamic kingdom.
“We tried to use these films to be a starting point as the first cinematic screening after the decision on Dec. 11 to permit movie theaters.”.
Cinemas were banned in the early 1980s under pressure from Islamists as Saudi society turned towards a particularly conservative form of religion that discouraged public entertainment and public mixing between men and women.
General view of the new first Saudi cinema at cultural club in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia January 13, 2018.
In a nod to conservatives, films will be censored to make sure they remain in line with the kingdom’s “moral values”.
“It’s more comfortable, more fun to have a change of scenery and an activity on the weekend.
“I want to see everything because it is something new for Saudi,” said 30-year-old movie-goer Ibtisam Abu Talib. »