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My Profile Top News Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day. Subscribe You are here: Home > News > Entertainment > Article Home Business & Finance News U.S. Politics International Technology Entertainment Film Music People Television Arts Industry Sports Lifestyle Oddly Enough Health Science Special Coverage Video Pictures Your View The Great Debate Blogs Weather Reader Feedback Do More With Reuters RSS Widgets Mobile Podcasts Newsletters Your View Make Reuters My Homepage Partner Services CareerBuilder Affiliate Network Professional Products Support (Customer Zone) Reuters Media Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Saudi film festival cancelled in setback for reformers Sat Jul 18, 2009 1:28pm EDT Email | Print | Share | Reprints | Single Page [-] Text [+] By Souhail Karam and Asma Alsharif RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's only film festival has been canceled, dealing a blow to reformist hopes of an easing of clerical control over culture that had been raised by the low-key return of cinemas in December. In a country where movie theatres had been banned for almost three decades, the Jeddah Film Festival presents aspiring Saudi film makers and actors with a rare opportunity to mingle with more experienced peers from other countries. "Late last night, the governorate of Jeddah notified us of the festival's cancellation, after it received instructions from official parties. We were not told why," Mamdouh Salem, one of the festival's organizers, said Saturday. He did not elaborate. Saudi writer Abdullah Al-Alami said he was not sure why the fourth Jeddah festival, expected to start in the Islamic kingdom's most liberal city Saturday, was canceled. "However, there is a trend of attacking cultural festivities ... This is a dark day for art and literature in our modern history," he said. King Abdullah has tried cautious reforms in the U.S. ally, which has no elected parliament, but diplomats say he is facing resistance from conservatives opposing changes. Many religious conservatives in the kingdom believe films from more liberal Arab countries such as Egypt could violate religious taboos. Some also view cinema and acting, as a form of dissembling, as inconsistent with Islam. "The film festival was canceled upon indirect instructions from the interior ministry," said an official at the information and culture ministry. LOW-KEY CINEMA RETURN Cinema made a low-key return in December with the showing in Jeddah and another southern city of the Saudi comedy "Menahi." The movie, produced by a company owned by Saudi royal Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, attracted such large numbers that it had to be screened up to eight times a day. It was shown before mixed audiences, a rare thing to happen in a country that bans unrelated men and women from mixing. But a sharp reaction by Ibrahim al-Ghaith, the ex-head of the kingdom's religious police, showed the opposition from the establishment to efforts to open up the society. Ghaith said cinema was an evil but he eased his tone 24 hours later to say that cinemas should show good things and not violate teachings of Islam. In February, King Abdullah removed Ghaith and another influential cleric in a wide government reshuffle. Continued... View article on single page Share: Del.icio.us Digg Mixx Yahoo! Facebook LinkedIn Next Article: Movie studios try to harness "Twitter effect" Also On Yahoo board member Icahn wants Microsoft deal Standoff emerges over GM's sale of Opel Expectations high for Apple quarterly results More Entertainment News Legendary TV news anchor Walter Cronkite dies | Video Celebrities on Broadway -- does it promise a hit? Second man dies after Madonna show stage collapse | Video New Harry Potter movie sets world opening record Jackson kids custody hearing delayed again More Entertainment News... Editor's Choice Slideshow A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. 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