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Source: Cinema of Saudi Arabia

The cinema of Saudi Arabia is a fairly small industry that only produces a few feature films and documentaries every year. Theaters were closed after religious activism in the 1980s. With the exception of one IMAX theater in Khobar, there were no cinemas in Saudi Arabia from 1983 to 2018, although there was occasional talk of opening movie theaters, and in 2008 conference rooms were rented to show the Saudi comedy film Mennahi. Saudis wishing to watch films have done so via satellite, DVD, or video. Cinemas were banned for 35 years until the first cinema in Saudi Arabia opened on 18 April 2018 in Riyadh.
Before cinemas were allowed to operate in Saudi Arabia, there were several attempts to introduce cinema in the country, beginning in the 1930s by Aramco employees. These attempts continued in the 1950s, 1970s, and throughout the first decade of the second millennium. In December 2017, the Board of Directors of the General Commission for Audiovisual Media in Saudi Arabia agreed to issue licenses to those wishing to open cinemas in the Kingdom.
The government hopes that by 2030, Saudi Arabia will have more than 300 theaters with over 2,000 movie screens. The Commission has announced that the “Launch the Cinema Sector in the Kingdom” initiative, which is one of the Quality-of-Life Program initiatives under Vision 2030 programs, has successfully achieved its target of increasing the number of cinemas in Saudi Arabia to 53 in 2021.
Cinema of Saudi Arabia, whether locally-produced or foreign-sourced, is subject to Saudi censorship.
The first Saudi film, titled “Al-Thubab” and starring Hassan Al-Ghanim, was produced in 1950, though Keif al-Hal?, released in 2006, was billed as Saudi Arabia's first film. It was shot in the United Arab Emirates and the lead female was played by a Jordanian. The film Shadows of Silence was released in the same year, directed by Abdullah Al-Muhaisen.
The 2012 film Wadjda had an all-Saudi cast and was the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia. The film Barakah Meets Barakah by director Mahmoud Sabbagh was shot in Jeddah in 2015, premiered the 66th Berlin International Film Festival, making it the first feature film to participate in the festival. Sameera Aziz is the first Saudi filmmaker in famous Indian cinema Bollywood.