Film could be Saudi Arabia’s greatest tool
Five years ago, the first Saudi Arabian feature film was being shot covertly from inside a van. It was the only way Haifaa Al-Mansour could get her story told. Back then, her film couldn’t even be shown in her home country because cinemas had been banned for decades. If someone had told me then that, in five years’ time, Saudi Arabia would not only allow cinemas but also encourage local production, I would have laughed. But here we are today.
In the age of Netflix, where the living room couch has replaced the theater, the opening of cinemas is emblematic of deep cultural change. The young and tech-savvy Saudi population was always able to watch films on television or online. But the cinema, the magic of the communal experience, is not only about art, entertainment or consumption; it is a social, unifying experience.
A whole new industry is starting from scratch, and things are moving at breakneck speed. It’s exciting times not just for local filmmakers but also regional and international productions. Hollywood and the global entertainment industry have taken notice, and it’s easy to see why. What was once a virgin sector is now open for business. Full-scale production studios by companies like Nebras Films are being established. MBC is actively looking to develop movies. And, in Cannes this year, industry panels, round-tables and various production, cultural and educational initiatives were launched.
Some have seen these moves as quixotic, especially in light of the precarious nature of the film business in the Middle East. Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Dubai all had film festivals that have been cancelled or put on ice. Dubai played a significant role in regional film development — its festival commanded the attention of Hollywood and world cinema, not only offering an international platform for emerging Arab artists, but also providing much-needed financing. Will Saudi Arabia fill the void? It’s still too early to tell, and one would hope there is room for everyone.
Saudi Arabian filmmakers are talented, ambitious and passionate. Instead of working in the shadows, they now have the chance to shine.
Hadi Ghandour
But the Saudi drive is so impassioned and urgent and intrinsically tied to its social modernization that there is room for optimism. Film will perhaps be its greatest tool. In the context of successful nations, an environment that encourages creativity must be in place. “I am optimistic because of Vision 2030,” says Musab Alamri, a filmmaker and PhD candidate at Nottingham University. “If the government wants Vision 2030 to succeed, then they must give people freedom of speech, freedom of art, freedom of education.”
Film education is absolutely key for the nascent industry to mature. Local talent is not yet developed enough to support such great ambitions. Without it, all the infrastructure and money in the world won’t make a difference.
“My concerns are about structure, labor, logistics and censorship,” says Alamri. “I’m not worried about the financial things. We have talented actors and actresses. We have a few great directors. But when it comes to producers, DOPs (directors of photography), gaffers, other crew, you will not find them. If you watch 100 percent of Saudi films, short or feature, you will find that the light (is poor). Why? Because there’s no professional gaffer.”
The Saudi Film Council and General Authority for Culture seem aware of this concern. Training programs and partnerships are being forged with top film schools like the University of Southern California and La Femis, along with organizations like Film Independent. Saudi filmmaker Talha B. highlighted an important point. “Not everybody needs to be a director. Not everyone has to wear the big hat. We can collaborate on something big, and that something can lead us to something bigger. It’s like a rolling ball of snow,” he said.
Saudi Arabia may be entering a new age of social modernization, but it is still a country with its own traditions and cultural norms. Guidelines on censorship within those parameters are incipient. Given how fast these norms are changing, the General Authority for Culture has acknowledged that such guidelines may evolve. But restrictions can breed creativity, forcing filmmakers to find different ways to explore touchy topics and themes.
Take Hollywood after the Hays Code of 1934. During that period, films had to be approved by a governing board that enforced strict guidelines on “decency” before they could be released. It was an age of censorship and limitation, but also what is now considered to be Hollywood’s golden age: A remarkable period in cinematic history that produced classics like “Casablanca,” “Vertigo,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Gone with the Wind,” “It Happened One Night,” “Double Indemnity” and countless others.
Perhaps the greatest hope I have is in the Arab world’s deep storytelling heritage, dating back to the Islamic Golden Age. “There are so many stories that haven’t been told yet. The stories I’ve heard from my grandmother, fairytales, nobody’s heard about them, even in Saudi, and I think that’s such a shame. There’s so much room for creativity,” says writer and director Maram Taibah.
Many of the Saudi filmmakers I have met are talented, ambitious and passionate. Instead of making films in the shadows, they now have the chance to shine.
It is an auspicious moment for Saudi Arabia to show the world its many facets and layers. There are so many stories just waiting to be told, and the world needs them now more than ever. Cinema is our greatest art. It is like sandpaper that softens and polishes and sharpens societies. It is amber that captures and preserves the zeitgeist of our time. And what a time it is.
- Hadi Ghandour is a Lebanese/Jordanian/Belgian screenwriter and director. His award-winning first feature film, “The Traveller,” premiered at Tallinn Black Nights and Dubai International Film Festival and toured film festivals around the world. Twitter: @ghandour
