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 The first Saudi Arabian film festival opened in the Red Sea city of Jeddah this week, in an ultra-conservative country where the silver screen is so controversial that the word "cinema" does not even get a mention in the title. "The Jeddah Visual Show Festival" started on Wednesday night screening two hours of home-grown short films. They will be screened three times a week for a month.
 Public screenings of movies are taboo in Saudi Arabia, where religious scholars believe any depiction of the human form is forbidden in Islam and where the U.S.-dominated film industry, with films often depicting sex and violence, is seen as an immoral force.
Saudi Arabia is deeply conscious that it is the birthplace of Islam and shuns activity that is commonplace in other parts of the world. Cinemas, for example, could allow mixing of unrelated young men and women, seen as sinful by Saudia's Wahhabi religious establishment
The new festival suggests that even devout Saudi Arabia is having to re-evaluate what should or should not be forbidden. At a news conference the festival, director Mishael al-Enazi said, "The Ministry of Information and Culture said let's not call it cinema, that could imply God knows what -- let's say 'visual shows.' We hope that showing these short films will lead to more acceptance of cinema."
Despite reservations of clerics, some Saudis have started directing movies. Entertainment company Rotana, owned by billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, has begun producing full-length features.
Saudi the authorities allowed public screenings of children's cartoons last year. This was the first time films had been shown in the Kindom since the 1970s, when Saudia's powerful religious establishment took a position against the art form.
"Saudis are going to show they can make good films too."
To avoid creating religious outrage, festival advertising seemed to talk down the content being screened.
"The films shown in this festival do not conflict with the customs and traditions of Saudi and they deal with national issues such as terrorism and daily life in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf," an official notice published in Saudi papers said.
The films shown dealt with bold themes like domestic violence, drugs and religious extremism. Saudi television broadcasts some dramas dealing with these same issues, but they are mostly made in neighbouring Kuwait, with Kuwaiti actors.
Saudi film critics in the audience welcomed the festival but were harsh about the films shown, saying they were amateurish, though clearly Saudi directors will need to get in more practice to improve what they can present.
The Jeddah Visual Show director's response to the critics was succinct, whilst at the same time flagging up his desired intentions:
"So there were mistakes, but if we are going to criticise then let's do the same for Egyptian, Syrian, Lebanese or American films too," organiser Mohammad Sallam said in defence. "Saudis are going to show they can make good films too."
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