Reads and articles
Film and TV reviews, features on Arabic cinema and drama, artists' careers, and the history of works that shaped our memory.
The Saudi box office in 2025: growth in revenue and a decline in the number of local films
SAR 920 million and nearly 19 million tickets: what do the 2025 figures say about cinemas in Saudi Arabia, and where do local films stand?
Joy Awards 2026: which Arabic works and artists won?
“Siko Siko”, “Sharie Al Asha”, “Ashghal Shaqqa Geddan” and “Salma” are among the winning works at the sixth edition of the Joy Awards in Riyadh.
From page to screen: five works based on literature in Ramadan 2025
A novel about Riyadh in the 1970s, the memoirs of an Egyptian pickpocket, and a Syrian play that waited more than twenty years: how did literary texts return to drama?
15 episodes instead of 30: the short series in Ramadan 2026
“Hekayet Narges”, “Al-Sit Mona Lisa” and “Manna'a” are among the works of a season in which Egyptian drama turned to shorter stories.
Cinema in Saudi Arabia since 2018: three stages in eight years
From fewer than a million tickets in the first year to 18.8 million in 2025, with local films that made a place for themselves in cinemas and festivals.
Abdulaziz Alshlahei: when place becomes one of the story's heroes
From “Zero Distance” to “Aks Seir”: the career of a Saudi director who usually chooses his film's location before the writing begins.
Ramadan 2026: three series led the scene
“Hekayet Narges”, “Al-Sit Mona Lisa” and “Sharie Al Asha 2”: how did three works top viewing lists and surveys in a crowded season?