Wadjda

From cinema ban to film festival: Saudi rolls out red carpet

Less than four years after lifting a ban on cinemas, Saudi Arabia is hosting its first major film festival that kicked off on Dec. 6 as it eyes a lucrative new industry.

Movie houses were barred for decades until April 2018, but over the next 10 days, actors and directors will tread the red carpet at Jeddah's Red Sea International Film Festival.