Saudi Arabia Hosts First Silent Film Screening with Live Music

In the lead-up to the upcoming edition of the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, the event is set to make cinema history for the country. The festival will host the nation's first-ever silent film screening, with the films accompanied by live musical accompaniment.

The live music screening event will feature three classic silent slapstick shorts: Buster Keaton's "One Week," Charlie Chaplin's "The Immigrant," and Laurel & Hardy's "Liberty." The live musical accompaniment will be provided by the UK's silent film specialist Neil Brand.

This groundbreaking event comes as Saudi Arabia continues to grow its film culture and industry following the lifting of the country's 35-year cinema ban in 2017. The festival's classic film-focused "Treasures" program will also showcase two classic Arab films and three international feature films, including a recent 4K restoration of Muzaffar Ali's 1981 musical drama "Umrao Jaan."

Other highlights of the "Treasures" lineup include Alfred Hitchcock's 1945 thriller "Spellbound" and Luc Besson's 1988 free-diving epic "The Big Blue," which will make its big-screen debut in Saudi Arabia.

"This year's Treasures lineup spotlights true legends of film, showcasing moments and performances which are immortalised in the cinematic canon brought back to life for local and international audiences," said Faisal Baltyuor, CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation.