Saudi Film Pioneer Faisal Baltyuor Bows First Riyadh Arthouse Cinema

Saudi Arabian film industry pioneer Faisal Baltyuor is opening the first arthouse cinema in Riyadh in what amounts to a milestone in the kingdom’s moviegoing trajectory ever since Saudi lifted its 35-year ban on cinema in late 2017.

The plush state-of-the-art 80-seat venue, called Cinehouse, is set to open in the Saudi capital later this month. The symbolic opening film will be a 1975 documentary titled “Development of Riyadh City” by Saudi helmer Abdullah Al-Muheisen. Before the religion-related Saudi ban on cinema went into effect, Al-Muheisen had been instrumental in laying the groundwork for the embryonic Saudi film industry. His vast body of work delved into social and humanitarian issues.  

A curated program comprising local and international films at Cinehouse will follow after the “Development of Riyadh City” doc.

“For our opening film we actually went back to our Saudi film industry legacy,” said Baltyuor, a former CEO of the Saudi Film Council who in 2020 founded CineWaves Film that is now the top Saudi specialty distribution company. He is also active in film production through CineWaves Films and Ideation Studios.

“When Saudi reopened to cinema, I met with Mr. Abdullah Al-Muheisen,” added Baltyuor. “I went to his office, sat with him for hours and was inspired by the challenges he went through back in the seventies when, yes, there was freedom to create content. But there was no infrastructure to help filmmakers do so.”

Upcoming titles set to soon screen at Cinehouse include Todd Phillips’s “Joker: Folie à Deux,” “I, The Executioner” by ace Korean director Ryoo Seung-wan; Aki Kaurismäki’s “Fallen Leaves”; Yemeni film “The Burdened” by Amr Gamal; Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest”; and Iranian director Saeed Roustayi’s “Leila’s Brothers.”

Baltyour, who has been working on the Cinehouse project for the past two years, in a statement expressed gratitude for support provided by Saudi’s ministry of culture, led by Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, and to deputy culture minister Hamed M. Fayez, as well as the Saudi Cultural Development Fund.

Cinehouse programming will be a mix of modern arthouse films that are on their post-festival launch tours; classics that have made a significant impact on cinema history; and a selection of more commercial films. Plus seminars, film cycles, and panel discussions with prominent international directors.

The Cinehouse venue features three plush screening venues for a total of 80 seats, plus a restaurant and bar with a luxurious period design reminiscent of “The Cotton Club.” All cinemas have 4K laser projectors and an Atmos 7.1 sound system.

Baltyour noted that despite the rapid rise of Saudi box office over the past six years “we have seen that there is a huge gap in the arthouse cinema sector which also reflects a global trend.”

According to Saudi’s General Authority for Media Regulation, the kingdom – that has now become the region’s top movie market – between April 2018 and March 2024 generated $986 million in revenue and over 61 million admissions.

“We know that there are a lot of challenges to tackle in opening an arthouse a house cinema, so we want to “take it step-by-step and see if we can build that community,” Baltyour noted.