This is a bad week to be a Saudi film buff, as the country’s only film festival was just cancelled:
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 cancelled upon indirect instructions from the interior ministry,” said an official at the information and culture ministry.
It’s a real shame, as I’m told the organizers had put together a stellar jury full of luminaries like Abdallah bin Abd al-Aziz bin Abdallah Al Saud, Abd al-Aziz bin Fahd bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, and Abd al-Rahman bin Fahd bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud.
Also, I’m told they were going to premiere their own remake of Star Wars, which we’ll probably never get to see now, although I did manage to find part of the trailer online:
However, before you get too worried for the people of Saudi Arabia, know that all is not gloom and doom. At least one member of the royal family is advocating that girls be allowed to participate in sports. The religious police are learning English in order to better prevent “vice” among foreigners (which, presumably, will leave them with less time to prevent “vice” among Saudis). And I have it on good authority that “8 Simple Rules… For Beating My Teenage Daughter” is no longer the most popular television show in the country.
And it’s possible the film festival will be brought back in the future. I’m certainly going to continue working on my Iraqi Balboa screenplay, just in case.
