Hayy Cinema, Saudi Arabia’s first independent cinema venue, celebrated the one-year anniversary of its launch on Sunday, December 3, screening a restoration of Badrakhan’s 1941 Egyptian drama Victory Of Youth.
The cinema, which is situated at the Art Jameel arts complex in northern Jeddah, hosted the event in collaboration with Red Sea Film, welcoming local and international attendees from the festival.
The cinema has screened over 180 Saudi, regional and international films since its launch on December 6 last year. The most popular titles have been the films of Hirokazu Kore-eda, screened during a Hayy Matsuri festival of Japanese culture in March. Screenings of Saudi short films have also regularly sold out, with titles including Nour Shams, VHS Tape Replaced and Othman.
The festival will play Hayao Miyazaki’s animated The Boy And The Heron from December 14, following its closing night screening at RSIFF on December 9.
“This is cinema for all - Saudi’s first permanent, bespoke independent cinema sets out to nurture the local film scene through immersive experiences both on the silver screen and through research-based displays, talks and workshops that shed light on the storied histories of film in the region and the trajectory of its future,” said Antonia Carver, director of Art Jameel.
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