The cinema of Saudi Arabia is comparatively small, as only two feature films from the country and one documentary were released in 2006.

Saudi Arabia is a very conservative country. Although there are no cinemas in the kingdom, many Saudis watch films via satellite, DVD

DVD

A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 and video. Keif al-Hal?

Keif al-Hal?

Keif al-Hal? is Saudi Arabia's first big-budget film, produced by Ayman Halawani . Directed by Izidore Musallam, it stars Hind Mohammed, the first Saudi cinema actress....

, billed as Saudi Arabia's first film, was shot in the United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...

 and the lead female was Jordanian. The film has produced much debate in the country with regard to the country's position on cinemas and films. The documentary short film Cinema 500 km

Cinema 500 km

Cinema 500 km is a Saudi Arabian documentary film which premiered in 2006. Directed by Abdullah Al-Eyaf, the film depicts the experiences of Tariq Al-Husaini, a 21-year-old Saudi who is a movie fan despite the fact that there are no cinemas in Saudi Arabia...

 directed by Abdullah Al-Eyaf

Abdullah Al-Eyaf

Abdullah Al-Eyaf is a Saudi film director also known as Abdullah Al Eyaf and Abdullah Aleyaf. He directed four films. His first film is a 42-minutes documentary Cinema 500 km which discusses the ban on cinemas in Saudi Arabia by following a young Saudi movie fan during his first trip outside the...

 discussed the issue of banning cinema theaters in the country, the film forced the media to highlight the issue on all media levels.

Saudi films

• Cinema 500 km
  Cinema 500 km
  Cinema 500 km is a Saudi Arabian documentary film which premiered in 2006. Directed by Abdullah Al-Eyaf, the film depicts the experiences of Tariq Al-Husaini, a 21-year-old Saudi who is a movie fan despite the fact that there are no cinemas in Saudi Arabia...
  
  (2006)
• Dhilal al Sammt (Shadow of Silence; 2004)
• Keif al-Hal?
  Keif al-Hal?
  Keif al-Hal? is Saudi Arabia's first big-budget film, produced by Ayman Halawani . Directed by Izidore Musallam, it stars Hind Mohammed, the first Saudi cinema actress....
  
  (2006)
• Women without Shadows (Nisaa Bil Thil;2006)
• I Don' Wanna (2008)
• Shadow
  Shadow (2008 film)
  Shadow is a stylish five-minute short film made in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia by Saudi filmmaker Mohammed Alhamoud. A one steadicam shot following two teenage girls on their way out of the door to buy their wedding dresses...
  
  (2008)
• Three Men and a Woman (2008)
• According to Local Time (2008)
• Sunrise/Sunset (2008)
• Last Day (2008)
• Project (2008)

Films shot in Saudi Arabia

• Exile Family Movie (Austrian; 2006)
• Le Grand Voyage
  Le Grand Voyage
  Le Grand Voyage is a 2004 film written and directed by Ismaël Ferroukhi. The film portrays the relationship between father and son as both embark on a religious pilgrimage trip by car. It was shown at the 2004 Toronto and Venice International Film Festivals.-Plot:Réda is a French-Moroccan...
  
  (French; 2004) - partly filmed in Mecca
  Mecca
  Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
  
  
• Malcolm X
  Malcolm X (film)
  Malcolm X is a 1992 biographical motion picture about the Muslim-American figure Malcolm X . It was co-written, co-produced, and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington as the titular character. It co-stars Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman, Jr., and Delroy Lindo...
  
  (American; 1992) - the first non-documentary to be given permission to film in Mecca
• Le Schiave Esistono Ancora (Italian; 1964)

Saudi directors

• Abdullah Al-Muheisen
• Ali H. AlAmeer
• Abdullah Al-Eyaf
  Abdullah Al-Eyaf
  Abdullah Al-Eyaf is a Saudi film director also known as Abdullah Al Eyaf and Abdullah Aleyaf. He directed four films. His first film is a 42-minutes documentary Cinema 500 km which discusses the ban on cinemas in Saudi Arabia by following a young Saudi movie fan during his first trip outside the...
  
  
• Haifaa al-Mansour
  Haifaa al-Mansour
  Haifaa al-Mansour is a film director from Saudi Arabia. She is one of the country's best-known and most controversial directors.She is the daughter of the poet Abdul Rahman Mansour, who introduced her to films by video, there being no movie theaters in Saudi Arabia...
  
  
• Mohammad Aldhahri
• Mohammad Al Khalif
• Abdulmuhsin Almutairi
• Hussam Alhulwah
• Mohammed Alhamoud
• Abdulmohsen Al-Dhabaan
• Nawaf Almuhanna

Saudi actors

• Hind Mohammed
  Hind Mohammed
  Hind Mohammed is a Saudi actress. In 2006, she co-starred in the Saudi movie Keif al-Hal?.Hind is considered as Saudi Arabia's first movie actress.-References and notes:...
  
  
• Hisham Abdulrahman
  Hisham Abdulrahman
  Hisham Abdulrahman Al Howaish is a Saudi actor. He was the winner of Star Academy Lebanon by a close 51.85% in its second season....
  
  
• Abdullah Al-Sarhan
• Nasir Al-Gasabi
  Nasir Al-Gasabi
  Nasir Al-Gasabi , , is a well-known Saudi Arabian actor, Began his artistic career in 1984, He is mostly known for his various roles in the Saudi comedy, Tash ma Tash.- External links :* at ElCinema.com...
  
  
• Habib Al-Habib
  Habib Al-Habib
  Habib Al-Habib is a Saudi Arabian television actor, known for his role in the Saudi comedy "Ghamshm" along with fellow actor Fahad Al-Hian.-Career:...
  
  
• Yusof Al-Jarrah
• Mohammed Baksh
• Mushari Hilal

See also

• Cinema of the world