Curtain rises on Saudi film fest despite cinema ban

2015/02/19 17:16:08 @Entertainment News Headlines — Yahoo! News

Saudi Arabia is rolling out the red carpet on Friday for its second film festival in seven years but the deeply conservative country has one major problem -- cinemas are banned. More than 60 short films will compete for & quot;Golden Palm Tree & quot; trophies crowning best drama, documentary and student film at a gala event attended by film and television celebrities from around the Arab world, festival director Ahmed al-Mulla said. Organisers said they hope the five-day festival will open eyes in Saudi Arabia to the possibilities of film despite objections from some conservatives that cinema will & quot;Westernise & quot; the kingdom or corrupt its morals. & quot;I think we in Saudi Arabia have beautiful culture to tell the world, & quot; said filmmaker Abdullah al-Eyaf, the head of the festival jury.
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