Layalina Productions, Inc. | The Layalina Review: "Saudi Clerics Defeat Movie Reformers"

The Layalina Review

VOL. V NO. 16, July 17-July 30, 2009

Saudi Clerics Defeat Movie Reformers

Saudi Arabia's top religious clerics pressured government officials to cancel this week's Jeddah Film Festival, endorsed by Jeddah city officials as part of their summer tourist offering, reports Jackson Allers for Menassat. Advocates for freer media and reformers alike have decried the move as another example of cultural repression exercised by the national religious authorities.

"Late last night, the governorate of Jeddah notified us of the festival's cancellation, after it received instructions from official parties. We were not told why," said Mamdouh Salem, one of the Jeddah Film Festival organizers.

The summer festival entitled “Jeddah Is Different,” was set to commence, with the preparations having gone smoothly within the Jeddah municipality. Unfortunately, in the three days following the clerics' announcement, the film festival was cancelled without any official statement explaining the change in plans.

Jeddah municipality spokesman, Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, told Arab News that the festival “lacked preparations,” although he did not name those elements that were allegedly "lacking."

The cancellation of the Jeddah Film Festival comes after King Abdullah removed a number of conservative clerics from the Saudi government earlier this year; a move many hoped would lead to a freer media environment.

Historically, Saudi religious authorities have strongly frowned upon music and cinema, accusing the latter of “display[ing] forbidden distractions that create disorder.”

Thus, films become a hard sell in a country where cinemas have been banned for almost 30 years, reports CBC. That ban was finally broken in December with the screening of the Saudi comedy Menahi in two cities in the Middle Eastern kingdom. Consequently, the film brought sharp criticisms from a number of hard-line Muslim clerics, as well as from Ibrahim Al-Ghaith, the former head of the country's religious police, who proclaimed that cinema in general, is evil.

There were 45 Saudi films among the 71 being considered for the $53,000 prize money, including two feature-length films. The Jeddah Film Festival joins a growing number of cultural events prohibited by Saudi religious clerics, including an opera concert with French soprano Isabelle Poulenard, who had her embassy-sponsored performance forbidden by religious clerics two days before her concert – despite gaining official approval.

King Abdullah tried to institute cautious reforms in his country, but foreign diplomats say he faces strong resistance from conservatives opposed to even minor changes, comments Arabian Business.

Predictably, the canceling of the film festival has drawn criticism from the Arab blogosphere. Meanwhile, the festival’s main sponsor, Rotana, the largest Arab media network in the world and owned by Prince Alwaleed, has not given a public statement on the festival's cancellation.

The Prince seems undeterred, as Rotana boldly set itself as the main sponsor of the Jeddah Film Festival, donating the proceeds earned from his film.

The cancellation of the festival is also perceived as a major blow to reformists across the country, according to The Independent. In a country where cinemas were banned for almost three decades, the Jeddah Film Festival has since 2006 presented aspiring Saudi filmmakers and actors with a rare opportunity to mingle with more experienced peers from other countries.

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