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FTER A BAN ON CINEMA EXHIBITION of more than 35 years,
— and with it, cinema had arrived. This event was closely
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) opened its first new
followed in June 2018 by the Kingdom granting women the
cinema — the 620-seat, single-screen AMC cinema in Riyadh
right to drive. A host of other relaxations have occurred since
— on 18 April 2018. The opening up of the sector is a key part of
then. More will likely follow.
the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 — a gradual modernisation and relaxation of the entire country.
There is a desire to modernise and open up the Kingdom.
worldwide. It showed KSA dignitaries and officials, male and
Currently, KSA is an economy heavily reliant on oil dollars; it is
female, with AMC’s CEO, all seated, bunched up together in
estimated that one in eight barrels of world oil production is
the front row. Officials, foreigners, and women, all together;
from KSA. In the near future, we will, out of necessity, be less
this was indeed a moment of change. The film they were
reliant on oil, and even more interconnected via the internet,
watching — the first for 35 years — was “Black Panther”, a movie
so KSA has a need to find new sources of income, be more
with a primarily non-white cast. There was little censorship of
progressive and be better aligned for the benefit of younger
the film. This was not the KSA of old.
generations. Cinema has a place in all of this change. It has
That one photo illustrated how quickly KSA was changing 3 8
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What’s behind such rapid change?
The press photo for this event (see over) was published
always been at the forefront of cultural shifts. Cinema buildings www.cinematech.today
15/02/2020 10:00
