JEDDAH, 24 July 2003 — At 5.30 last night, a family entertainment event made history in Saudi Arabia. A massive 35mm projector rolled the latest Hollywood blockbuster cartoon to a packed auditorium of women and children.
“This is the first time ever that a cartoon theater performance has taken place in the Kingdom,” said the organizer of the scheme. “I wanted to do something very different and special for the Jeddah Festival.”
The theater at King Fahd Coastal City was specially prepared for the event, with entrances and screens provided to cater for the women and children only audiences.
A new SR100,000 surround sound system was installed in the raked auditorium with wide screen. In the foyer, all the traditional trimmings of a family outing — popcorn, sodas and ice creams — were provided in abundance.
The projector itself is a piece of history. Older than most of the audience and never operated in earnest before, it performed flawlessly. “I had to search around a number of countries to find a lens for it. In terms of visual entertainment history, it’s an antique — although it has never been used and is in perfect running order.”
The project has taken four months to put together and involved considerable negotiations with copyright holders, numerous technical challenges and safety checks.
“This is not just a re-showing of old material,” said the organizer. “We worked hard to get the copyright and permission to show the latest productions.” The program over the next four weeks includes the very recently released Hollywood blockbusters “Finding Nemo” and “Jungle Book 2.”
Reactions to the opening night were enthusiastic. “It was fantastic,” glowed Amani Ahmed, 10. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.” She was supported by the gleeful shouts of other young enthusiasts.
“We want this whole exercise to be a success and run smoothly,” said the organizer.
