JEDDAH: Lebanese singing sensation Nancy Ajram rocks the stage specially set up on the lawns of the Ritz Carlton Hotel, in the Al Hamra district of Jeddah.

The audience, many of whom hail from the world of Arabic cinema, are singing and dancing along, clad in cocktail dresses. Supermodel Naomi Campbell is also in attendance.

This isn’t an account of a Hollywood event, rather the concluding scenes from the Red Sea International Film Festival, held at the Ritz Carlton, in the shadow of the imposing King Fahad Fountain.

The event, which saw screenings of 131 films in 34 languages from 61 countries, is not something one would usually associate with the uber-conservative kingdom, which until a few years ago did not have many public cinemas or theatres.

Now, though, things are different, and the Red Sea Film Festival has entered its second year.

Research suggests Saudi Arabia’s total revenue from cinemas is expected to be around $1.5bn by the year 2030

A star-studded opening ceremony, attended by the likes of Shahrukh Khan, Kajol and Sharon Stone, paved the way for red carpet events and screenings at the IMAX-equipped Vox Cinema in the Red Sea Mall, on the other corner of the city.

Saudi Arabia officially lifted a 35-year cinema ban at the end of 2017 as part of a larger strategy to open up the country’s economy and society.

In the space of five years, the kingdom has now got 580 screens and two major shooting locations in Al Ula and Neom, while its efforts to build a network of local producers, distributors and exhibitors amid demand for local content, are evidence of the growth in films during the festival.

The string of international showbiz celebrities and megastars, including the likes of Ranbir Kapoor and Antonio Banderas, showed the world a new face of a country earlier only known for black gold riches and a strict version of Islam.

In fact, for the layperson, such glitzy activities being held in the heart of the city that is known to most as the embarkation point for holy pilgrimages to Makkah, could not be less of a culture shock.

Ghadeer, a Lebanese girl working here in the marketing industry, says that there are many options to watch movies now as several new cinemas have opened across the city. She now sees only little difference between her country, which always has had a thriving cinema scene, and Saudi Arabia.

Namrata Joshi, a New Delhi-based journalist and film critic who attended the inaugural edition of the Red Sea Film Festival, thinks the festival has expanded compared to the previous iteration.

Last year, she says, the festival’s venue was the historical Al Balad area of Jeddah that has been rehabilitated by the Saudi government.

But Namrata regretted that she did not see films by Saudi women in the festival this year.

“I think the festival has also become more business-like and the organisers look more focused on the business of cinema,” she shares her views on the changes in the two editions as the first one was more like an introduction.

Looking at the numbers, it seems she is right: according to research conducted by PwC Middle East, an accounting firm, total cinema revenue in Saudi Arabia was expected to be $1.5bn in 2030, which is when Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s Vision 2030 comes to pass.

According to the report, the country, which targets to become one of the top 20 cinema industries of the world, will host 2,600 cinema screens to cater to its growing young population.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2022