Meeting discusses developing Saudi cinema industry

Saudis attend the "Short Film Competition 2" festival at King Fahad Culture Center in Riyadh. (AFP file photo)

• KSA’s cinema industry was undergoing qualitative advancement that attracted local and global investors

RIYADH: Ways to develop the Kingdom’s cinema industry have been discussed at a meeting, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Esra Assery, CEO of the General Commission for Audiovisual Media, met Toby Tennant, vice president, EMEA Regional Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures, and Mohamed Al-Hashemi, regional manager of Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment, Cinemas & Lifestyle.
They discussed areas of cooperation to develop Saudi cinema, distribute movies, and develop national competencies in light of the industry’s enormous growth since its launch and the significant turnout of movie distributors to make films.
They said the Kingdom’s cinema industry was undergoing qualitative advancement that attracted local and global investors, especially amid the commission’s procedures that contributed to facilitating and speeding up licensing and rating.
A nationwide ban on cinemas in the Kingdom was lifted in 2018, and more than 1,000 films have been presented in the country in the past three years. There are 45 movie theaters in the Kingdom, with a combined 418 screens and 41,934 seats. Meanwhile, it was announced that the inaugural edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival will feature some of the best Arab and international films.