SHURA COUNCIL MAY BE ON THE VERGE OF LEGALIZING

C O N F I D E N T I A L JEDDAH 000113 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/PPD, ECA E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/2014 TAGS: KDEM KPAO PGOV SA SCUL SUBJECT: SHURA COUNCIL MAY BE ON THE VERGE OF LEGALIZING MOVIE THEATERS FOR FILM-HUNGRY SAUDIS Classified By: CG Martin R. Quinn for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. According to Saudi film-maker and documentarian Dania Naseef, niece of a newly appointed Shura Council member, the Council is actively discussing the legalization of movie theaters in the Kingdom. Numerous trusted sources have confirmed that major malls in Jeddah have left empty spaces designed for movie theaters in anticipation of a change in the situation. Well-attended and unsegregated film festivals in Jeddah have created a buzz about the potential for theaters in this "liberal-minded" city. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) MOVIE THEATERS? LET EACH CITY DECIDE FOR ITSELF: In March 17 meeting film-maker Dania Naseef (PLEASE PROTECT) recounted to PolOff what her uncle told her, adding that it was not public information. Dania's uncle, Mohammad Naseef, is a recently appointed Shura council member (brought in during the recent government shake-up),described as "very liberal." According to the Naseefs, the Shura Council is actively debating the possibility of legalizing movie theaters in Saudi Arabia. Under the discussed scheme, each community in the Kingdom would decide for itself whether to allow movie theaters. Dania explained that this method would allow conservative areas of the country to maintain their strong feelings against cinema, while allowing relatively more liberal cities like Jeddah to develop a film industry. Regardless of how the movie issue is solved, most Jeddawis see it only as matter of time before movies come back to Jeddah. Dania noted that all over Saudi Arabia people already have access to movies (and even pornography) via satellite. At least with movie theaters, she asserts, there would be the ability to control and monitor content for public consumption. ¶3. (C) MALLS HAVE ALREADY PREPARED THEATERS: Numerous trusted sources have confirmed to post that the Red Sea Mall (one of Jeddah's largest) already has the space built for a multiplex mall cinema. The mall decided to keep this space so that if theaters are legalized they would quickly be able to capitalize on the potential business. According to Dania, several other malls, including the largest and newest Mall of Arabia have also left spaces available for movie theaters. ¶4. (SBU) JEDDAWIS ARE THIRSTY FOR FILM AND HUNGRY FOR POPCORN: There is a growing call for an expansion of film-watching opportunities in Jeddah as evidenced by the success of last fall's Jeddah Film Festival, the emergence of Saudi film-makers like Dania Naseef, and the ravenous black market consumption of DVD films all around the city. March has featured a highly successful Asian Film festival sponsored by Consulates of 12 Asian countries in Jeddah. The festival, which featured films from a different country each night as well as a night for Saudi Arabia, packed in several hundred people most evenings for mixed-gender viewings of wide screen uncut productions. European Consulates in Jeddah are planning their own festival in April. The US Consulate General recently held successful screenings (for target audiences) of "Dream Girls" and a travel channel special featuring a Saudi film-maker. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: A decision by the Shura Council to leave theater laws up to each community would be an interesting way of meshing the competing interests of the more conservative Wahhabist heartland with the clearly more liberal-leaning Hijaz. Allowing for different policies to govern different areas of the country will set a unique precedent for law-making and is likely to be met by considerable debate. A similar scheme could be one of way of addressing the growing debate on other social issues like affording women the right to drive. Given the widespread access to the internet, satellite, and other largely uncontrolled media, the advent of movie theaters does not appear to be a social revolution and yet it will be a sign to citizens and the world that the tight grip of the religious establishment has weakened under the patronage of a reformist King. END COMMENT. QUINN