'Chinese Film Nights' festival begins in Saudi Arabia

Cairo: Chinese film screenings are underway in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah amid thriving cultural ties between the kingdom and China.

The “Chinese Film Nights” festival was launched by the Chinese consulate and the National Film Authority of China at the Fox Cinema Red Sea in Jeddah.

The event, which kicked off Friday night, runs for three nights with the showing of six movies, two each night. Officials from both sides attended the opening gala.

The festival comes as part of joint cooperation between Saudi-Chinese cultural institutions and boosting the private sector’s contribution to joint cultural cooperation, the Saudi news agency SPA reported.

Last October, several long and short Saudi films were screened in the Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou as part of the “Saudi Film Nights”, an event organized by the Saudi Film Commission.

Earlier this year, the Film Commission inked a memorandum of understanding with the Bona Film Group, a Chinese film producer and distributor.

The pact envisages cooperation in film distribution including Saudi movies in both countries, training, skill development and negotiations on establishing a joint film production fund. The memorandum was signed during a visit by Saudi Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah to China.

The entertainment industry has grown in Saudi Arabia in recent years as part of the kingdom’s efforts to diversify its oil-reliant economy. In 2018, Saudi Arabia reopened cinemas for the first time in nearly four decades.

In December 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a landmark visit to the kingdom where he met King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed.