Saudi Arabia screens 'The Emoji Movie' after lifting 35-year cinema ban

Saudi Arabia began screening feature-length animated children’s films this weekend in a makeshift theatre, after a 35-year-old ban on cinemas was lifted in the conservative Islamic kingdom. The first permanent theatres could open as early as March, part of a liberalising reform drive that has already opened the door to concerts, comedy shows and women drivers over the past year. For now, the authorities are sponsoring temporary settings, like the state-run cultural hall in the Red Sea city of Jeddah equipped with a projector, a red carpet and a popcorn machine. “Until now, there is no infrastructure for movie theatres, so we are trying to take advantage of (alternative) venues to approximate the cinematic form,” said Mamdouh Salim, whose Cinema 70 brand organised the week-long screenings. “We tried to use these films to be a starting point as the first cinematic screening after the decision on Dec. 11,2017 to permit movie theatres.”