Between a past rooted in traditions and local values, and a present rapidly changing under the pressures of modernity and economic transformation, Saudi cinema finds itself pulled toward pivotal moments in social history. Through these moments, it seeks to understand itself and reimagine its relationship with both heritage and modernity.
Many Saudi films draw on the pre-oil boom era of the late 1960s. What may seem like nostalgia for the past is, in fact, a deep search for identity and a desire to reflect on the sweeping changes Saudi society has undergone over recent decades.
But does this focus carry with it an implicit caution about delving into the problems of the present?
Nostalgia as a Dramatic Driver
“I don’t believe this is an escape from the complexities of the present,” says Saudi film critic Khalid Rabie Al-Sayed, “but rather a way of owning and understanding that life and reclaiming it through a positive, intimate nostalgia. It was the childhood of the filmmakers during the pre-oil boom era — a sentimental period they either lived through as youth or heard vividly recounted by their families as they grew older.”
Writer and filmmaker Ali Saeed highlights the production dimension of past-themed stories.
“Many observers of Saudi films note that they are drawn toward reviving the past, especially in this period — the phase of establishing institutions for the Saudi film industry,” he says, noting the artistic and production challenges in pursuing this approach.
“A novelist can write a thousand-page book about the past, but in cinema this cannot be achieved without a budget. Recreating the past on screen is as much a production issue as it is an artistic one. It’s a parallel equation for any film set in the past. Therefore, having institutions that support Saudi filmmaking is what has allowed Saudi directors and producers to bring the past to life visually.”
Saeed believes this era of history holds a global production appeal — something that is also evident in Saudi cinema.
“In the Saudi case, it is an artistic celebration of memory — both individual (the director’s) and collective (society’s). As we know, Saudi settings have been largely untapped cinematically, so in the coming years we will see even greater momentum for such works, because those who remember this period are still drawn to its cinematic and visual aesthetics.”
Present and Past in the Narrative of Identity
Rabie notes that Saudi film production is diverse, but “the main themes in Saudi cinema revolve around documenting identity through both the present and the past.”
He explains in depth how contemporary films capture the pulse of society and current national transformations:
“In the present, we see films that deal with the lives of modern urban youth and highlight the features of national change that have taken place in recent years after the entrenchment of the Vision 2030 ideology. They do this through realistic stories — past and ongoing — set in Saudi cities, featuring Saudi youth whose identity is reflected in their dialect, dress, behaviors, environmental influences, customs, and cultural, religious, and popular heritage.”
On the historical documentation side, Rabie says recalling the past is not just narrative but an emotional intertwining of generational experiences.
“This is simply cinema that thinks about the Saudi environment in its true components. Saudi filmmakers want to present a cinema that resembles them exactly — pure and free from the artistic and thematic influences of neighboring Arab or global cinemas.”
He believes Saudi cinema “revolves around the idea of contemporary authenticity and the social heritage of both urban and Bedouin life — with stories set in the city for modern, urban societies and in the desert for the Bedouin.”
Saeed points to another distinctive aspect of Saudi cinema: the diversity between experimental art films and works aimed at a mass audience.
“There is a return to the desert and Bedouin themes — as in Hajjan and Hobal. There are also ‘lone hero’ films aimed at broad audiences, like Ambulance (Is‘af) and Sattar. In between are films that reveal the director’s personal voice, like Last Party on the Road. What unites them all is the Saudi audience’s joy at seeing their worlds on the big screen.”
Saudi Films and the Audience’s Reality
On whether Saudi films reflect the reality of their audience, Saeed offers an optimistic view, explaining the nature of the film–audience relationship:
“If we loosely agree that films represent the viewer and reflect their reality, then the large turnout for Saudi films is an indicator of that. However, I don’t think films are obliged to represent reality — they are a mirror of their makers, of how the filmmakers see reality, even if through a dramatic lens.”
He continues, explaining that local cinema is still searching for its artistic identity “through the voices of directors, which will take years of work — a process that has already begun.”
“I’m optimistic about the future of the film industry, as the experience is shifting from reliance on institutions to building a sustainable industry, thanks to a supportive, engaged audience that goes to the cinema.”
For his part, Rabie offers a practical indicator to measure audience engagement, citing box office figures.
“The public flocking to one film and avoiding another is the best measure of whether Saudi films represent their audience or are detached from them. We’ve seen both cases in recent years, and the box office numbers are the best evidence. Yes, there have been films that represent and appeal to audiences, such as Sattar, and before it The Book of Sun (Shams Al-Ma‘arif), Night Courier (Mandoub Al-Layl), and more recently Hobal, Shabab Al-Bomb, Fakhr Al-Suwaidi, and Salma and Qamar — regardless of genre, whether comedy, social drama, or art film.”
Rabie continues his analysis of the current phase of local cinema:
“I think we are still in a stage of feeling out audience taste — what represents them and reflects their reality — and this is maturing steadily. We have not yet reached the ‘the audience wants this’ formula that Egyptian cinema found in the 1980s, when director Hassan Al-Imam coined his famous phrase: ‘The audience wants this.’ Reaching that point requires a large body of film output. Only then will it become clear what truly represents the audience, reflects their reality, and appeals to their taste.”
Sukina Ali
A Saudi writer, researcher, and TV presenter
