Several decades after the last cinema in Saudi Arabia closed its doors to save the kingdom from sin, a new one is opening at a shopping complex in Dammam. Al-Hayat reports (in Arabic) that it has five screens and there will be separate showings for men and women. It will specialise in cartoons and "action" films which, hopefully, won't be too alarming for religious conservatives.

Even so, there has been little fanfare so far for the opening – presumably to avoid controversy. Al-Hayat says crowds have been turning up, just to check that the cinema exists.

Saudi cinemas were gradually driven out of business during the 1970s and 1980s under pressure from religious elements.

The first tentative move towards a resumption of public screenings came in 2005 when the municipal authorities in Riyadh gave permission for a series of cartoon films to be shown at a hotel, to audiences of women and children.

A film festival was held in Jeddah for three years, from 2006 to 2008, but the 2009 festival was cancelled on the orders of the authorities at the last minute. There appears to have been no attempt to hold it again this year.

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 20 November 2010.