Saudis Host First Film Festival

Here's a story from the Associated Press yesterday, with additions:

DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia - It's a far cry from the glamour of Cannes: No celebrities strutting their stuff; an all-male audience drinking coffee and juice rather than champagne; and if any female spectators showed up — well, "no one knew". They came in through a back entrance into a separate hall, off-limits to the male organizers.

There's been an upsurge in Saudi movies, usually short films that cannot be screened officially, and several newspapers now have a weekly movie page that highlights the cultural value of cinema.

That has angered conservatives who have flooded newspapers with statements denouncing the movie industry for encouraging decadence, showing the drinking of alcohol and portraying men and women together.

The shadow of the kingdom's conservatives was not far off at this event. Just before the celebration began, a group from the Committee to Prevent Vice and Promote Virtue dropped by. They went into the screening hall and asked that the four female Saudi and non-Saudi journalists who were present be moved from the middle of the room to side chairs in the front row. The evening then continued without further disruptions.

(What gentlemen.)

The Playbill:

"Mosque of Zorro"
"The Goats of Navarone"
"The Incredible Hakeem"
"Do Mess with the Zohan"
"What Happens in Fallujah . . ."
"The Sisterhood of the Traveling Burkha" (cancelled due to stoning)
And
"Flight 93: The Musical".

Feel free to add more titles.