Saudi National Day turns spotlight on cinema’s golden years

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Fouad Jamjoom, pictured in the background in a TV studio, set up a chain of eight cinemas. (Supplied)
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Cinema Al-Ahwash (backyard cinemas) operated in a coutryard or yard. (Supplied)
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A movie poster for the Egyptian film ‘Years of Love.’
Updated 23 September 2019
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Saudi National Day turns spotlight on cinema’s golden years

  • ‘Daring cinema pioneer’ opened theaters around Saudi Arabia
  • End to the cinema ban is paving the way for a new generation of Saudi filmmakers 

JEDDAH: More than half a century ago, cinemas were a popular source of entertainment in major cities in the Kingdom. Westerners working for the California State Oil Company (later Aramco) were the first to introduce cinemas to Saudis, setting up large screens in their residential compounds during the 1930s to watch American and European films. Cinemas soon spread to the four major Saudi cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Taif and Abha. There were more than 30 theaters in Jeddah alone, with admission prices ranging up to SR10 ($2.80).
Thuraya Arafah, 70, who worked with the General Administration of Girls Education in Jeddah, recalls visiting Cinema Jamjoom and Cinema Al-Attas in Jeddah.
“They used to show Egyptian films with Farid Al-Atrash, Anwar Wagdi, Shadia, Faten Hamama and Abdel Halim Hafez, all leading actors and actresses still adored to this day,” she told Arab News.
Jomanah Khoja, producer of Al-Arabiya’s documentary Cinema Al-Ahwash (Backyard Cinemas), said the popular movies at the time were mostly Egyptian. “There were also many American movies like James Bond, for example.”
Ticket prices varied from one yard cinema to the next. “The variations of prices, according to some owners we interviewed, said tickets were sold for 2 SAR while others were 20 SAR. The price of the ticket also depended on the movie: If it was a new movie, prices were more expensive.”
The introduction of VHS cassettes was “a key factor in the disappearance of these cinemas,” Khoja said.  
However, in the wake of the 1979 terror attack on the Grand Mosque by Juhayman Al-Otaibi and his followers, conservative voices increasingly spoke out against the spread of cinemas, TV and music. A major social shift occurred that led to cinemas being banned from the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Saudi screenwriter Yasser Hammad said that there were cinemas operating in Taif and Madinah, while in Riyadh cinemas were opened at the Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr and Al-Shabab sports clubs. Cinemas were also still in use at Aramco facilities in the Eastern Province.
“Jeddah had several. They were called Cinema Al-Ahwash (backyard cinemas). They operated in a house courtyard or in an adjacent yard used initially to accommodate pilgrims with their camels, so I figure this might be their off-season use of the space,” he told Arab News
The city’s theaters included Al-Attas Hotel cinema on the beachfront; Cinema Al-Hindaweya; Cinema Al-Baljoon in Al-Sharafiya district, just off the Old Airport Road; and Cinema Abu-Saffiya, near Bab Sharif, as well as cinemas in the Egyptian and Jordanian embassies. Most were operated by wealthier families who had money to buy or rent cinema projectors, he said.
“The projector would be a 16mm along with a mix of chairs. Films were rented out, and the 16mm film roll was cut into parts, so each cinema would rent out a part of the film and then swap them in the middle. Cinemas had triple bill film screenings, showing an Egyptian film first, followed by either an Italian or an American movie, and finishing  with an Indian movie.”
Hammad said the leader of the era was Fouad Jamjoom, who first went to Egypt in the mid-1950s.
“He was fascinated by cinema and was chasing his dream. He opened a cinema in Tanta, Egypt, which got him more involved in the process of distributing films, which evolved into producing.”
Jamjoom returned to Jeddah in the early 1960s and set up a chain of eight cinemas. “Cinema shops also rented out projectors, films and even promotional material such as film posters. Eid specials showed the latest James Bond films, “Khally Ballak men Zouzou” and other blockbusters,” Hammad said.
Jamjoom censored the films himself, “even though cinema at the time didn’t require much censoring.” He also held premieres and invited Egyptian stars such as Ahmed Ramzy, Farid Shawqi, Magda El-Khatib and others.
Hammad explained that the yard cinemas had only male audiences, except for a few houses that held private screenings for women. “Even the young male audience went to the cinema without their parents knowing,” he said.
“Jamjoom wanted families to attend, and made a theater with a roof and air-conditioning in the mid-1970s that had seating for women in the upper section.”
Hammad said that cinema at the time appealed to a young audience with little to do during their free time. “National television wasn’t as impressive as watching ‘King Kong’ on a large screen,” he said. Shehab Jamjoom, a close relative of the Saudi cinema pioneer, said: “Without a doubt, he was daring, ambitious and had so much determination. He had so much love for the field and would try to overcome any obstacle.
“He was fighting to bring entertainment to people — innocent entertainment — and today it has become accepted and licensed.”
Cinemas officially returned in the Kingdom after a 35-year hiatus in April 2018, with the first screening of Marvel’s “Black Panther” at the AMC cinema in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District. In January 2019, Jeddah witnessed the opening of its first cinema, Vox, at Red Sea Mall. The return of cinema has paved the way for a new generation of Saudi filmmakers.
“Roll ’em,” a drama produced by an all-Saudi team, made its way to movie theaters in March 2019. The lifting of the ban on cinemas is part of widespread social reforms led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.


3rd Global Conference for Giftedness and Creativity underway in Riyadh

Updated 25 November 2024
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3rd Global Conference for Giftedness and Creativity underway in Riyadh

  • More than 300 talented individuals and local and international speakers from over 50 countries were attending the three-day conference

RIYADH: The third edition of the Global Conference for Giftedness and Creativity opened in Riyadh on Sunday, bringing together a select group of experts and talented individuals in science, technology, and innovation.

More than 300 talented individuals and local and international speakers from over 50 countries were attending the three-day conference, which was inaugurated by Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, governor of Riyadh region, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Organized by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, also known as "Mawhiba," the conference is being held at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) until Tuesday.

Themed "Beyond Creative Minds," the conference aims to showcase the potential of the gifted, develop a comprehensive care system to support them, bolster integration and strategic partnerships, and enhance opportunities for global exchange and cooperation.

An exhibition and various cultural visits are being held on the conference sidelines, the SPA report said.

According to the Mawhiba site, the conference reflects the success achieved in the two previous editions, and "provides an opportunity for partners to contribute to sponsoring the journey of talented people from different countries of the world."

 

 


Saudi-European talks to strengthen cooperation in environmental fields

Updated 25 November 2024
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Saudi-European talks to strengthen cooperation in environmental fields

  • Saudi minister, EU security and political officials discuss reinforcing existing work on coping with climate change

RIYADH: Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir met with European officials on Sunday in Riyadh, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Al-Jubeir, who is also the Saudi climate envoy, held talks with Delphine Pronk, chair of the EU Political and Security Committee, and Luigi Di Maio, EU special representative for the Gulf region.

They discussed issues surrounding climate change and environmental cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the EU, as well as ways in which existing cooperation on tackling climate change could be strengthened. They also talked about the recent development in foreign policy in Europe and the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia maintains a strong dialogue with the EU, with both parties sharing views on several foreign policy issues, including the Saudi-led Arab Peace Initiative for the Middle East.

The EU and Saudi Arabia are also linked through trade relations, with the EU becoming the Kingdom’s second main trading partner after the volume of trade exchange between Riyadh and Brussels peaked at $80 billion in 2023.


Saudi FM arrives in Italy to attend G7 ministerial meeting

Updated 24 November 2024
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Saudi FM arrives in Italy to attend G7 ministerial meeting

RIYADH: Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Italy on Sunday to participate in an expanded ministerial meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) countries in Fiuggi, Saudi Press Agency reported. 

The meeting will discuss the current situation in the Middle East, SPA added.

During his stay in Fiuggi, Prince Faisal will hold a number of discussions that will address regional and international issues.


Saudi fund chief receives Tajikistan’s deputy prime minister

Updated 24 November 2024
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Saudi fund chief receives Tajikistan’s deputy prime minister

  • Saudi Ambassador to Tajikistan Walid Al-Rashidan was among the officials in attendance

RIYADH: CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development Sultan Al-Marshad received First Deputy Prime Minister of Tajikistan Hokim Kholiqzoda and his accompanying delegation in Riyadh on Sunday.

During the meeting, the Saudi fund’s development projects were discussed, as well as ways to enhance development cooperation between both sides, the official account wrote on X.

Saudi Ambassador to Tajikistan Walid Al-Rashidan was among the officials in attendance.

Kholiqzoda’s visit included a tour of the Saudi fund’s exhibition center, which showcases the organization’s 50-year journey, including notable development projects and their impacts on the lives of beneficiaries.

 


World’s first International Conference on Conjoined Twins kicks off in Riyadh

Updated 24 November 2024
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World’s first International Conference on Conjoined Twins kicks off in Riyadh

  • Top World Health Organization official commends Saudi Arabia’s efforts in the field

RIYADH: The inaugural International Conference on Conjoined Twins kicked off in Riyadh on Sunday. 

The event unites leading medical experts, humanitarian organizations, and families from around the globe to share vital insights, discuss innovative separation techniques, and forge collaborative pathways in the pursuit of improved lives for conjoined twins. 

Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar delivered a speech on behalf of King Salman celebrating the achievements of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, which has become a global leader in the field.

“Since 1990, 143 cases of twins from 26 countries have been reviewed by my dear colleagues, who have successfully separated a total of 61 pairs of twins to date,” he said. 

Prince Faisal added that it is the only program globally specializing in separating conjoined twins, making it one of the largest humanitarian medical programs in the world. 

He also highlighted a recent milestone: the UN General Assembly is considering an initiative by Saudi Arabia to designate Nov. 24 as the annual World Conjoined Twins Day.

In a video address, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, congratulated Saudi Arabia on its leadership in organizing the conference.

“I commend Saudi Arabia for its leadership in organizing this important World Conjoined Twins Day Conference,” he said. 

This recognition would honor the medical and humanitarian efforts in this field and highlight the challenges faced by conjoined twins and their families. 

Ghebreyesus praised the initiative as a model for global collaboration in rare and complex medical cases. 

“The conference provides critical insights, from surgical innovations to long-term strategies, shaping rare initiatives. A broader platform and registry for congenital anomalies would benefit low and middle-income countries,” he said.

A keynote address was delivered by Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, advisor to the Royal Court and supervisor-general of Saudi aid agency KSrelief.

As the head of the multidisciplinary team for the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, Al-Rabeeah provided insights into the occurrence and challenges associated with conjoined twins.

The history of conjoined twin separation reveals both the challenges and progress in medical science. 

“The first successful separation was by Johannes Fatio back in 1689 by using a constricting band for a set of Omphalopagus twins or those sharing liver and gastrointestinal organs,” he said.

With a 0.5 percent incidence rate, this early success involved “presumably, a small joining in the skin, probably a little bit of the liver,” said Al-Rabeeah. 

He added that a major breakthrough came in 1957 with the first successful separation of Craniopagus, or twins sharing one brain. 

Al-Rabeeah said that the epidemiology shows distinct patterns: “In Western countries, it’s been estimated that we get one conjoined twins in every 50 to 200,000 births.” 

He added that, however, it is more prevalent in Southeast Asia and Africa, “presumably because identical twinning and twinning is (found) more in dark-skinned people in Africa and also in Southeast Asia, increasing the incidence.”

The survival statistics, Al-Rabeeah reported, entail that “60 percent of conjoined twins are stillborn, and those who live 40 percent of them will die in the first few days of life, and 70 percent of those who would survive will be females.”

He emphasized that the reasons behind this regional disparity remain unknown and require further research.

Throughout the conference, leading medical professionals presented their expertise on various aspects of caring for and separating conjoined twins. Topics included embryology, multidisciplinary team-building, antenatal care, and labor management. 

Dr. Nadia Al-Ghilan, from the maternal-fetal medicine department at King Abdulaziz Medical City, gave a presentation titled “Caring for Conjoined Twins: A Prenatal Journey,” describing the complex process of managing pregnancies involving conjoined twins.  

She said that caring for conjoined twins is a complex and delicate process as it requires meticulous prenatal planning and a dedicated medical team.

Al-Ghilan said that “this journey is filled with unique challenges, ethical considerations, and the utmost care to ensure the best possible outcomes for the twins and their family.” 

Early diagnosis, she stressed, is critical for effective prenatal referral, counseling, and planning for delivery and postnatal care.  

Al-Ghilan also underscored the importance of genetic testing in understanding the chromosomal health of conjoined twins. 

“Techniques like amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling can help identify genetic abnormalities, providing valuable information for developing treatment strategies.”

The conference not only serves as a platform for scientific exchange but also fosters dialogue on building global partnerships to support conjoined twins and their families, particularly in low and middle income countries. The conference emphasized the importance of comprehensive care, from prenatal counseling to post-separation rehabilitation. 

For over 30 years, the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program has stood as a beacon of hope for families worldwide. The inaugural International Conference on Conjoined Twins is set to continue this legacy, inspiring further advancements in the care and treatment of conjoined twins globally.