InfoAnda - Saudis indulge long banned passion for silver screen

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Single trial for three accused in Dell insider case: Judge | | 30 June 2012
Arab Spring to take years to improve women's rights: activists | | 5 December 2012
Defendants in German attacks plot trial say will confess | 10 June 2009

Iraqi who threw shoes at Bush released from jail | 16 September 2009

">Forum Views () ">Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Saudis indulge long banned passion for silver screen

Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Asia Pacific World Search Search: Saudis indulge long banned passion for silver screen AFP - 1 hour 20 minutes ago JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) - - They howled and clapped, munching popcorn while cheering the figures on the screen -- a normal movie theatre scene elsewhere, but revolutionary in Saudi Arabia where films have not played publicly for decades. Massive lines snaked out from the King Abdul Aziz Cultural Centre as Jeddah residents queued up to see the first feature film open to the public for 30 years, hoping the event heralded a big change in the ultra-conservative kingdom's stinted cultural scene. In what took hush-hush negotiations with senior political officials and the strict religious police, the Red Sea port of Jeddah and the nearby city of Taif allowed the Rotana entertainment group, owned by powerful Saudi tycoon Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, to put on its new comedy "Manahi" for nine days. The result was overwhelming, the 1,200-seat hall hardly meeting the demand for the 15-riyal (four-dollar) tickets over more than a week. "The hall was filled up to the very last seat during the two shows scheduled each day, forcing us to add a third show after midnight," organiser Mamdouh Salem told AFP. Decades ago film lovers in Saudi Arabia would crowd into clubs and halls to watch the same movies enjoyed throughout the Arab world. But in the 1970s, clerics of the ultra-conservative Wahhabist version of Islam which is practised in the country cracked down and banned cinemas as having a corrupting influence on society. The taboo has been broken somewhat in recent years, with videos and satellite television, and movies shown surreptitiously at night in popular coffee shops. But to see a movie in a real theatre, Saudis still have to travel to neighbouring countries. Putting on the film in Jeddah, a progressive city compared to the capital Riyadh, took the support of Prince Khalid al-Faisal, the powerful governor of the province of Mecca, himself a poet and supporter of the arts. The local religious police, from the feared Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, inspected the hall ahead of the screenings to ensure that women and men would be separated, following Saudi Arabia's strict rules of segregation between the sexes. Salem said it was an adventure to get "Manahi" shown in a place where there are no real cinemas, adding that it was exciting to see the audience's thirst for movies. "This is a hall with 1,200 seats. It was not built for movies, and the projector is not made for 35mm films," he said. With women sitting apart in the balcony, and men and boys on the ground floor below them, the hall echoed with raucous laughter as they took in the story of the misadventures of a Saudi country farmer who finds himself in the city of Dubai. On hand for the opening, "Manahi" star Fayez Malki said he was pleased at the turnout. "This encourages me to play in more Saudi films and I plan to make a new one with Rotana," he said. "It is an honour to have my name associated with the first Saudi film shown in public here." Khaled al-Amri, who brought his children to see "Manahi", said he slakes his passion for film on trips to Cairo and Dubai. Roua Mohammed, an interior designer, said she visits Cairo three times a year to check out the latest releases in the theatres. "Why can't they be shown here?" she asked. Despite the success in Jeddah, it was not yet clear whether Rotana would be able to show "Manahi" in Riyadh, where the religious police are much tougher and government officials more conservative. As the shows drew to a close, religious police chief Sheikh Ibrahim al-Gaith branded movies "an absolute evil". But on Saturday he eased his stance, allowing that some films might be appropriate. "I did not say that we reject all cinema," Sheikh Gaith said. "A movie could possibly be acceptable if it serves good and is suitable under Islam, but I said that we were not consulted during the organisation of these movie showings." And while a senior government official told AFP that "it was not the right time yet" to toss out controls on movies, some property developers appear ahead of the game: their newly-built malls seem already set up to install cinemas, if and when the time comes. Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Recommend this article Average (0 votes) Sign in to recommend this article » Most Recommended Stories » Related Articles: Entertainment & Lifestyle Saudis indulge long banned passion for silver screenAFP - 1 hour 20 minutes ago Italian army cannot defeat Mafia, says 'Gomorrah' directorAFP - 1 hour 25 minutes ago Actors guild delays vote on strike authorizationAP - 1 hour 29 minutes ago Chow drops out as director of 'Green Hornet'AP - 1 hour 49 minutes ago Paolini, Pullman with books coming to iPhonesAP - Tuesday, December 23 Enlarge Photo A Saudi holds up his entrance ticket to see the Saudi comedy film "Manahi" at a theatre in Jeddah. They howled and clapped, munching popcorn while cheering the figures on the screen -- a normal movie theatre scene elsewhere, but revolutionary in Saudi Arabia where films have not played publicly for decades Most Popular – Entertainment Viewed OECD forecast deepens gloom as world stocks slip Quake zone hero pig named China's animal of the year Tata gives Jaguar cash boost pending bail-out decision: FT Actress Jennifer Aniston appears naked in GQ magazine New Year's hangover? Take two eels and call me in the morning View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular

Other News on Tuesday, 23 December 2008
Karzai presses top US military leader
Sri Lanka says 67 killed in northern fighting
Internet economy could shrink in 2009: OECD
Singaporean woman in custody in Philippines for links to alleged baby trafficking
Turkmenistan issues parliamentary election results
India gives Pakistan surviving gunman's letter
Suspected US missiles kill 8 in northwest Pakistan
Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo congratulates new Thai counterpart
Juergen Flimm to manage Berlin opera
Cabbie helps police arrest convenience store robber
Robert Mulligan, director of `Mockingbird,' dies
India gives Pakistan Mumbai gunman's letter
MOM’s survey shows more employers providing family—friendly benefits
Hamas signals thaw; Israel sets up Gaza offensive
Kirsten Dunst granted restraining order
Review: `Marley & Me' yanks at heartstrings
Review: Cruise distractingly bad in `Valkyrie'
More than 100 killed in S.Lanka fighting: Tigers
Thai king calls for peace after political turmoil
FIDReC expands resources to handle expected increase in complaints
Yachting: Telefonica Blue team first to reach Singapore in Volvo Ocean race
Suspected US missiles kill 8 in northwest Pakistan
Review: Sandler's `Bedtime Stories' feeling tired
HDB to offer 4,000 smaller flats over the next two years
Game news: Rockin' around the Christmas tree
Ministry of Home Affairs to hold biggest recruitment drive
UN extends protection for Iraqi assets
Decapitated soldiers new blow to Mexico in drug war | International |
Unisys cuts 1,300 jobs, suspends raises
Georgia furious as OSCE observer mission scrapped
Israelis unearth Byzantine gold hoard
Doctors aid group lists top 10 humanitarian crises | International |
Colorado newspaper employees go online with survival plea
World stocks mostly drop in pre-Christmas trading
Bomb scare on Athens-Moscow flight
Iraqi PM: Shoe-thrower blames throat-slitter
China quake ruins cleared, but school anger unbowed | International |
OECD forecast deepens gloom as world stocks slip
Two Chinese giant pandas head for Taiwan
Fate of British troops in Iraq in doubt after vote derailed
Suspected U.S. drones kill 7 in Pakistan: agents | International |
Iraq MPs delay vote on foreign troops
Colombia rebuffs foreign help in hostage release | International |
Russia denies delivering S-300 missiles to Iran
Polar bear Knut opts for meat over intruder | International |
South Africa should cut off Zimbabwe electricity: Australian ex-PM
Sudan man accused of aiding Darfur war crime court | International |
US warns Russia against selling missiles to Iran
Singapore Hot Stocks-CapitaLand, Keppel, Ascendas India in focus
Mobile teleconsulting can evaluate stroke patients | Technology |
Toyota projects first loss in 70 years
US military buildup in Afghanistan taking form
MOVES-Pioneer Investments, Baker & Hostetler, FBR
Will Ferrell site, Funny Or Die, raises $3 million | Technology |
Seoul shares open down, led by Hynix Semiconductor
Japan emperor turns 75, pledges to care for family
Warner Music pulls videos from YouTube | Technology |
Toyota projects first loss in 70 years
China seeks WTO probe of US taxes on Chinese goods
Alleged arms dealer tries to evade handover to US
India awards oil and gas exploration rights
Chinese Internet porn sensation detained by police | Technology |
India FM: We will act on Mumbai if Pakistan won't
Alleged arms smuggler Bout testifies in Thailand
Tourism to Goa takes beating after Mumbai attacks
Aniston and Wilson explore marriage in Marley & Me | Entertainment |
Samantha Ronson recuperates from brief hospital stay | Entertainment |
Will Ferrell site, Funny Or Die, raises $3 million | Entertainment |
Recession -- the ultimate aphrodisiac
Obama invites poet Elizabeth Alexander to read at his inauguration
Berlin State Opera taps Flimm as artistic director
Grosses tumble at a Piven-less 'Speed-the-Plow'
David Spade helps Phoenix police buy rifles
Fans say yea as Carrey's `Yes Man' opens to $18.3M
Celebrities share adoption stories for TV special
Concert industry posts record year despite economy
`Titanic' duo DiCaprio and Winslet sail again
Review: `Button' dazzles visually, emotionally
'Sopranos' actor cleared of murder in NYPD death
Indonesian booze shortage halts Christmas fun
Fiji drops threat to expel New Zealand ambassador
GLOBAL MARKETS-Asia stocks drop for 3rd day as 2008 winds down
Behind the YouTube, Warner divorce
In central Jakarta, ruins of Indonesia's colonial past
Report: US asks SKorea to move troops to Afghan
US wants SKorea troops in Afghanistan: report
U.S. military chief urges India, Pakistan work together | International |
Chai and combat: French train Afghan army at frontline
Georgia in secret talks on restoring Russia ties: report
Olmert in Turkey for indirect Israel-Syria peace talks
Cuba's Raul Castro welcomes visiting Russian naval ships
Weak sales could topple US carmakers despite bailout
Veteran Guinea President Conte dies | International |
Earthly organisms developed in two sets of fits and starts: study
Drug gang violence surges in Honduras: study | International |
Investigators probe Denver jet accident
Males dominated 'out-of-Africa' migration 60,000 years ago
Japan emperor turns 75, frets over economy, health | International |
East Timor seen still on brink of anarchy | International |
Mauritanian president's release 'falls far short' of demands: US
Song and dance as China pandas take off for Taiwan | International |
China ready to use force on Somali pirates
Steinberg to be named deputy secretary of state
Road diversion trial at Woodlands Centre Road to be extended
Seoul shares drop 3 pct; carmakers slide on outlook
Investigators probe airplane's Denver runway skid
Fiji expels New Zealand ambassador
Taiwan auctions 10-yr bonds, yield below forecasts
China pandas lift off for Taiwan
Seoul shares fall 3 pct led by carmakers, Hynix
US has assurances from Iraq on Iranian rebels: official
China to make millions more eligible for poor relief: report
Toyota to replace president amid business slump: report
India says 3G entrants to also get 2G spectrum | Technology |
Two soldiers, 15 militants killed in Pakistan's Swat valley
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,212
China's Sina to buy large part of digital ad giant's business
China's goodwill pandas lift off for Taiwan
NZ dollar steady as weak GDP data meets forecasts
Prominent writers call for release of Chinese activist
SKorean shipyards and builders face forced restructuring
Australia admits errors made in Indian 'terror' doctor case
Michael Jackson camp denies health problems | Entertainment |
Macau's Venetian sacks further 500 staff as credit crunch bites
Malaysia Islamic party revives contentious plan
Seoul shares extend decline on Hynix, automakers
Taiwan dlr falls to 1-wk low on c.bank move, jobs
Chow drops out as director of 'Green Hornet'
Saudis indulge long banned passion for silver screen
Italian army cannot defeat Mafia, says 'Gomorrah' director
Actors guild delays vote on strike authorization
Chow drops out as director of 'Green Hornet'
Paolini, Pullman with books coming to iPhones
Court agrees to pay Spears' father $75/hour
Capsule reviews of `Valkyrie' and other films
China earthquake parents sue over school collapse
Japan emperor turns 75
Asia couchsurfers travel cheap, face culture clash
Hollywood actors' union postpones strike vote
Chinese hackers to face up to seven years in jail: report
Seeking Happiness as a street artist in China
Chinese official under fire for lavish lifestyle
Accused Mumbai gunman requests Pakistan's help
Karzai attends memorial for 3 killed in US raid
Fiji and New Zealand trade diplomatic expulsions
S’pore woman in Philippines out of jail, pending further investigations
China to consider building aircraft carrier
Temporary viaduct in CBD to open to traffic on Sunday
3 Bangladesh militants to die for attack on envoy
Karzai attends memorial for 3 killed in US raid
Detained Iraqi security officials released on bail
Taliban's Omar rejects reports of peace formula | International |
British economy shrinks sharply in third quarter
Seven Russian tourists dead in Egypt coach crash
New Russian sea-based missile fails again in test: report
Heartbreak for Gambhir as Ind-Eng Test drawn
Hamas says may extend Gaza truce
Iraq political row threatens British troop vote | International |
Tremont hedge 'loses $3.3 bln in Madoff scandal'
Five Iraqi police killed in bombing
Mugabe dismisses U.S. stand on power-sharing pact | International |
Russian strategic missile test fails: report | International |
Army captain launches coup in Guinea after president's death
Russia demands changed mandate for OSCE in Georgia | International |
Decapitated soldiers new blow to Mexico in drug war | International |
Up to 6,000 child soldiers recruited in Darfur: U.N. | International |
Obama report due on Senate seat scandal
Indian PM: 'Nobody wants war' after terror attack
Hillary Clinton plans a more powerful State Dept: NY Times
Singapore Flyer grounded to a halt due to technical fault
China urges US to prevent trade protectionism
Indian leader: Nobody wants war
D.Telekom, Vodafone combine to expand German VDSL | Technology |
Taiwan Nov export orders slump, signal harsh slowdown
Police say they foiled attack in Indian Kashmir
Taiwan plans to issue T$110 bln govt bonds in Q1
Indonesia sees drop in tourism spending next year
China calls for return of Guantanamo Bay inmates
SKorean portals indicted over online piracy case
Philippines names 3 to panel for rebel peace talks
Hong Stock index drops 2.8 percent
Chinese court backs local firm in cellphone suit
Gas states meet in Russia amid 'gas OPEC' fears
Gas states meet in Russia amid 'gas OPEC' fears
Divided U.S. actors union delays strike vote | Entertainment |
Rare rhino calves found in Indonesian jungle
Taiwan shares slump on jobless news
Aniston and Wilson explore marriage in Marley & Me | Entertainment |
China's Shanghai stock index falls 4.6 pct
Foreign-language Oscar a magnet for controversy | Entertainment |
Fred Thompson lands daily radio show | Entertainment |
Beijing to build a Chinese Broadway: report | Entertainment |
Warner Bros. skips China release for 'Dark Knight'
Hollywood actors' union postpones strike vote
Warner Bros. skips China release for 'Dark Knight'
Annie Yi displays professionalism on stage but declines media interviews
Wu Jing: I respect all forms of martial art
Facebook users garner support for Chew Chor Meng
YES 933 DJ Christina Lim debuts in tele-movie
Rights group: Sri Lanka hampers aid to displaced
American Samoa letter sent to Honolulu for testing
Nepal media protest against Maoist union attack
Australia's anti-terror laws to be reviewed
Global minimum and maximum temperatures
Fiji and New Zealand trade diplomatic expulsions
Scholars, lawyers call for release of China critic
India flirts with military response to Mumbai attacks
Nepal media protest attack by ex-rebels
Malaysian activists call off nude protest
Documents offer look at big tobacco's tactics
Chinese city apologizes again for water pipes
Police say they foiled attack in Indian Kashmir
Builders must be licensed by June 2009 to carry out building works
Companies still partying on at year—end but on smaller budgets
HDB calls for tender for wet market at Sengkang Square
NKorean general threatens SKorea amid tensions
Bank of America denies China pressured it to drop bank stake sale
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01