Thinking of the City through Film and Cinema: Roll’em
In: Middle East Journal of Culture and CommunicationSearch for other papers by Ulrike Freitag in
Current site
Google Scholar
Abstract
The Saudi film Roll’em (director Abd al-Illah al-Qurashi, Jeddah, 2019) tells the story of a young would-be film director and his dream to make a film about his native Jeddah. Shot just before the official opening of cinemas in the country, Roll’em was filmed at the beginning of an enormous boost to the Saudi entertainment industry. The film engages the history of filmmaking and cinema in Saudi Arabia, as well as the search by a young generation for historical identity and social participation. Filmmaking and cinema emerge as an important way to make sense of the present. This article positions Roll’em within the current socio-cultural transformation of Saudi Arabia.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
-
Abdulelah Alqurashi. International Movie Database (IMDb). Accessed 4 February 2021: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5694847/.
-
Admon, Yifat (2010). Revival of Cinema Sparks Debate in Saudi Arabia. MEMRI—The Middle East Media Research Institute, no. 595. Accessed 5 August 2020: https://www.memri.org/reports/revival-cinema-sparks-debate-saudi-arabia. 11 March 2010.
-
First cinema in Saudi Arabia to open on April 18. Al Arabiya. Accessed 29 January 2021: https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2018/04/04/Saudi-Arabia-to-open-up-first-cinema-hall-on-April-18. 4 April 2018.
-
Al-Istaʾ, Fahd (2013). Al-Sinima al-murtahala. Qissat al-film al-saʿudi khilala arbaʿin sana. Al-Majalla. Accessed 29 January 2021: https://web.archive.org/web/20131209075227/http://www.majalla.com/arb/2013/05/article55245158. 21 May 2013.
-
Al-Khudair, Deema (2019). Saudi film to premiere in Vox cinemas for first time. Arab News. Accessed 5 August 2020: http://www.arabnews.com/node/1464711/saudi-arabia. 10 March 2019.
-
Aly, Hend (2019). Royal Dream: City Branding and Saudi Arabia’s NEOM. Middle East—Topics & Arguments 12: 99–109.
-
Al-Rasheed, Madawi (2002). A History of Saudi Arabia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
-
Alumni Film Roll’em has historic screening in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Website of New York Film Academy. Accessed 5 February 2021: https://www.nyfa.edu/nyfa-news/nyfa-alumni-film-roll-em-has-historic-screening-saudi-arabia.php#.YB0e53kxmUk. 28 March 2019.
-
Being a woman in Saudi Arabia: actress Fatima al-Banawi on the wind of change. France 24. Accessed 7 August 2020: https://www.france24.com/en/video/20180704-being-woman-saudi-arabia-actress-fatima-al-banawi-wind-change. 4 July 2018.
-
Bertelsmann Stiftung (2020). BTI 2020 Country Report Saudi Arabia. Gütersloh: Bertelsmann Stiftung. Accessed 5 February 2021: https://www.bti-project.org/content/en/downloads/reports/country_report_2020_SAU.pdf
-
Derbal, Nora (2018). Zivilgesellschaft trotz fehlender Grundrechte in Saudi-Arabien? WeltTrends 135: 30–35.
-
Faqundush, ʿAli (2013). Al-Sinima kanat rafida hamman lil-muthaqqafīn min al-ahali. Al-Ukaz Accessed 5 August 2020: https://www.okaz.com.sa/article/536769. 16 January 2013.
-
Foley, Sean (2019). Changing Saudi Arabia. Art, Culture, and Society in the Kingdom. Boulder and London: Lynne Rienner.
-
Freitag, Ulrike (2012). Treading the Line between Censorship and Cautious Change. Qantara Accessed 5 August 2020: https://en.qantara.de/print/2601. 5 April 2012.
-
Freitag, Ulrike (2019). The History of the Hajj as Heritage: Asset or Burden to the Saudi State? In Schnepel Burkhard and Tansen Sen (eds.), Travelling Pasts. The Politics of Cultural Heritage in the Indian Ocean, pp. 62–78. Leiden and Boston: Brill.
-
Freitag, Ulrike (2020). A History of Jeddah. The Gate to Mecca in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
-
Global Chain AMC First to Enter Cinema Sector in Saudi Arabia. Entertainment Newsweekly. Accessed 8 August 2020: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A534721520/STND?u=fub&sid=STND&xid=1da5074d. 20 April 2018.
-
Hansen, Thomas and Oskar Verkaaik (2009). Introduction: Urban Charisma—On Everyday Mythologies in the City. Critique of Anthropology 29: 5–26.
-
History of Cinema in Saudi Arabia: Rise, Fall and Rebirth. Arab News, video 2:36 min. Accessed 6 August 2020: https://www.arabnews.com/node/1212356/history-cinema-saudi-arabia-rise-fall-and-rebirth. 21 December 2017.
-
ʿIlaqi, Ahlam Muhammad (2017). Al-sinima fi Jidda zaman. Al-Ukaz. Accessed 5 August 2020: https://www.okaz.com.sa/article/1525152. 3 Februray 2017.
-
Jidda al-tarikhiyya: Iftitah ‘Sinima al-hawsh’ bi-film Space Odyssey. @okaz_online. Accessed 6 August 2020: https://www.okaz.com.sa/last-stop/na/1734038. 27 June 2019.
-
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (n.d.). Vision 2030. Quality of Life Program. Accessed 16 March 2021: https://www.vision2030.gov.sa/en/programs/QoL.
-
Maneval, Stefan (2012). Abdullah, wir müssen reden. Die saudische Künstlergruppe Edge of Arabia. Zenith 6: 82–91.
-
Maneval, Stefan (2019). New Islamic Urbanism: The Architecture of Public and Private space in Jeddah. London: UCL Press.
-
Matar, Dina (2012). Rethinking the Arab State and Culture: Preliminary Thoughts. In Tarik Sabry (ed.), Arab Cultural Studies. Mapping the Field, pp. 123–136. London and New York: I.B. Tauris.
-
Mater, Ahmed (n.d.). Development of the Saudi Art Scene from 1960. Accessed 5 February 2021. https://www.ahmedmater.com/essays/development-of-the-saudi-art-scene-from-1960.
-
Mühlböck, Monika (1988). Die Entwicklung der Massenmedien am Arabischen Golf, Heidelberg: Julius Groos Verlag.
-
Mohammed, Irfan (2017). KSA needs to build an all-round movie industry, says veteran Saudi filmmaker. Saudi Gazette. Accessed 6 August 2020: https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/524882/SAUDI-ARABIA/KSA-needs-to-build-an-all-round-movie-industry-says-veteran-Saudi-filmmaker?fbclid=IwAR2sGIgbhmpDR9OIheNNUysbrDy21VGY-1oc55h0lbNZI_GQGQOcTaS8iKM. 26 December 2017.
-
Potter, Lawrence G. (2017). Saudi Arabia in Transition. Great Decisions: 51–64.
-
Roll’em. International Movie Database. Accessed 16 March 2021: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9298196/.
-
Sakr, Naomi (2012). Placing Political Economy in Relation to Cultural Studies: Reflections on the Case of Cinema in Saudi Arabia. In Tarik Sabry (ed.), Arab Cultural Studies. Mapping the Field, pp. 214–233. London and New York: I.B. Tauris.
-
Saudi Crown Prince: Iran’s Supreme Leader ‘Makes Hitler Look Good.’ The Atlantic. Accessed 29 July 2020: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/04/mohammed-bin-salman-iran-israel/557036/. 2 April 2018.
-
Shafik, Viola (2016). Arab Cinema. History and Culture Identity. Rev. and updated ed. Cairo and New York: American University of Cairo Press.
-
Trabulsi, Muhammad (2008). Jidda—Hikayat Madina. 2nd ed. Riyadh: no publisher.
-
ʿUmar, Muhammad (2017). Sinima al-ahwash. Rasd al-haraka al-sinimaʾiyya fi ʾl-saʿudiyya. Sharjah: Malhamun li-l-Nashr wa-l-Tauziʿ.
-
Uncensored: Hisham Fageeh and Fatima Al-Banawi. The Review, tiff Festival 2020. Accessed 7 August 2020: https://www.tiff.net/the-review/uncensored-hisham-fageeh-and-fatima-al-banawi.
-
Yamani, Mai (2006). Cradle of Islam: The Hijaz and the Quest for an Arabian Identity. London and New York: I.B. Tauris.
-
Yee, Vivian (2020). Saudi Society is Changing. Just Take a Look at These Coffeehouses. New York Times. Accessed 5 February 2021: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/15/world/middleeast/saudi-women-coffee-shops.html. 15 January 2020.
-
Zaki, Nihad (2018). ‘Qabla tahrimiha’ … hakadha shakkalat al-sinima al-saʿudiyya wujdan al-mujtamaʿa qabla nisf qarn. Accessed 6 August 2020: https://www.sasapost.com/the-history-of-saudi-cinema/. 10 April 2018.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 650 | 216 | 23 |
| Full Text Views | 36 | 4 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 81 | 14 | 0 |
Thinking of the City through Film and Cinema: Roll’em
In: Middle East Journal of Culture and CommunicationSearch for other papers by Ulrike Freitag in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
The Saudi film Roll’em (director Abd al-Illah al-Qurashi, Jeddah, 2019) tells the story of a young would-be film director and his dream to make a film about his native Jeddah. Shot just before the official opening of cinemas in the country, Roll’em was filmed at the beginning of an enormous boost to the Saudi entertainment industry. The film engages the history of filmmaking and cinema in Saudi Arabia, as well as the search by a young generation for historical identity and social participation. Filmmaking and cinema emerge as an important way to make sense of the present. This article positions Roll’em within the current socio-cultural transformation of Saudi Arabia.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 650 | 216 | 23 |
| Full Text Views | 36 | 4 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 81 | 14 | 0 |
