When the Ministry of Labor decided to include cinemas as a potential industry for employment my initial reaction was what exactly could labor authorities do to push forward the prospect of opening movie houses in the Kingdom.
The Labor Ministry holds no sway on this issue, at least that was my first thought. But I realized that there was no better way to endorse such a plan than under the banner of economic opportunities and jobs for Saudis. As Saudi Arabia attempts to become less dependent on oil revenue and create sustainable private sector jobs, cinemas are a clear opportunity to increase Saudization.
The obvious motivation to tap into the economic benefits of opening cinemas is the fact that Saudis spend an estimated $1 billion annually going to theaters and watching movies in Dubai and Bahrain. That is $1 billion not spent to boost the economy in Saudi Arabia.
Another motivation is that the time has come for cinemas. Saudis are hungry for entertainment that does not including picnicking on the Corniche or eating in restaurants. Saudis and expats legally and illegally download thousands of films each month. Young Saudis today devote much of their leisure time producing and viewing videos on YouTube and using social media to produce their own entertainment. Cinemas are inevitable in Saudi Arabia and only the most myopic people fail to see that the demands of Saudis today can’t be ignored otherwise their money will be spent elsewhere.
The argument that watching movies in a darkened cinema leads to moral corruption has always been weak. First, Saudis of a certain age will remember watching movies in Saudi theaters as children. And certainly their parents never considered going to the cinema in Saudi Arabia as somehow an immoral act.
Equally important is that gender segregation and selecting what types of movies to be screened are not impossible tasks, but rather a straightforward process that will not lead to shirking one’s moral responsibility. Family sections, female sections and movies for kids make the whole prospect of potential sinful behavior rather laughable. Handled correctly, cinemas have the potential to open a window for Saudis to other cultures.
Still, obstacles remain. In June, an investor sought a license from the Saudi General Commission of Audiovisual Media to open cinemas in Saudi Arabia. The infrastructure in malls is already in place and it’s a matter of funding and permission to go ahead with the project.
The commission did not say no and asked for further details. But we should keep in mind that such commissions rarely say “no,” but they also rarely say “yes,” which results in delays so long that the answer might as well be “no.” Even assuming that the commission granted the license, the lawlessness practiced by certain elements will make it almost impossible to operate a cinema unless the investor commits himself to a battle of wills with those people.
When television came to Saudi Arabia there was a moral crisis that many thought would spell doom. Nothing happened. Then the satellite dish arrived and they were deemed illegal because it imported the “corrupted” western culture. Nothing happened. Then mobile phones with photo and video capabilities arrived. In this case, something happened: Saudis became inspired to create their own visual art. Now there is a burgeoning video and filmmaking movement in Saudi Arabia. This includes young Saudis producing, directing and acting in their own productions, and older Saudis investing large sums of money as producers in the filmmaking industry to bring their own vision to the screen.
Contrary to what some people will have you think, cinemas are not a threat, but an economic and creative opportunity for thousands of Saudis.
—
Email: [email protected]
