沙特解除35年禁令 明年起将重新开放电影院

Saudi Arabia to Permit Movie Theaters After 35-Year Ban

Saudi Arabia’s government says it will lift a ban on movie theaters starting next year.

The move was announced Monday by the country’s ministry¹ of culture and information.

The decision was the latest in a series of social reforms announced in recent months by the conservative Middle East kingdom.

An official statement said the government will begin the licensing² process in the next few weeks.

The first cinemas are expected to open by March 2018.

The government ordered the closure of all movie theaters in Saudi Arabia in the early 1980s during a wave of religious conservatism. Saudi Arabia follows Sharia law, which is based on a strict interpretation³ of Islam.

Many religious leaders see movie theaters as a threat to Saudi Arabia’s culture and religious identity.

But Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin⁴ Salman has been carrying out several social and economic reforms. Some of them removed parts of the kingdom’s conservative rules.

Saudi Arabia has also announced policy changes to extend more rights to women. These include plans to allow women to drive vehicles and to attend events at all-male sports stadiums.

The reforms are part of bin Salman’s Vision 2030 campaign, which is aimed at boosting spending and creating more local jobs.

Saudi Arabia is the world’s top oil exporter. But it has suffered economic effects from lower oil prices in recent years.

The Saudi government says the opening of movie theaters will add more than $24 billion to the economy and create more than 30,000 jobs by 2030. Officials predict during that year, at least 300 cinemas with about 2,000 screens will be operating.

In announcing the cinema decision, the head of the culture and information ministry said it marked a “watershed⁵ moment” in the development of the country’s “cultural economy.”

While the latest decision will allow the licensing of theaters, the government will maintain control over the censoring⁷ of films.

Reuters news agency reports the government will make sure the movies are “in line with values and principles in place, and do not contradict with Sharia Laws and moral values in the kingdom.”

Many involved in the country’s film community praised the decision.

“Saudi Arabia is always in the news, but it’s nice to be in the news in this way,” said Los Angeles-based Saudi director Haifaa Al Mansour. In 2012, the director released “Wadjda,” the first full-length feature film shot completely in Saudi Arabia.

“It is a beautiful day in #Saudi Arabia!” she tweeted.

Saudi actor and producer Hisham Fageeh also expressed his excitement. “It's spectacular news. We are in a state of shock,” he said.

Dubai-based shopping center company and cinema operator Majid Al Futtaim was also pleased to hear the announcement. It said it will seek to open the first movie theater in Saudi Arabia.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

cinema – n. a movie theater

screen – n. the surface onto which a picture is projected

watershed – n. moment in time when important change happens

censor⁶ – v. to examine books, movies, etc. in order to remove things considered to be offensive, immoral⁸ or harmful to society

contradict – v. say the opposite of something someone else says

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 licensing   

v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A large part of state regulation consists of occupational licensing. 大部分州的管理涉及行业的特许批准。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• That licensing procedures for projects would move faster. 这样的工程批准程序一定会加快。 来自辞典例句

3 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

4 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

5 watershed   

n.转折点，分水岭，分界线

参考例句：

• Our marriage was at a watershed.我们的婚姻到了一个转折关头。
• It forms the watershed between the two rivers.它成了两条河流的分水岭。

6 censor   

n./vt.审查，审查员；删改

参考例句：

• The film has not been viewed by the censor.这部影片还未经审查人员审查。
• The play was banned by the censor.该剧本被查禁了。

7 censoring   

删剪（书籍、电影等中被认为犯忌、违反道德或政治上危险的内容）( censor的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Therefore, exhibitors shall not make use of these materials before censoring. 展商在审查前不可使用这些资料。
• The company then said it would end self-censoring search results, putting it at odds with Beijing. 随后该公司表示，将停止自我审查搜索结果，从而与中国政府发生对抗。

8 immoral   

adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的

参考例句：

• She was questioned about his immoral conduct toward her.她被询问过有关他对她的不道德行为的情况。
• It is my belief that nuclear weapons are immoral.我相信使核武器是不邪恶的。