Saudi Cinema Encyclopedia

The Saudi Cinema Encyclopedia is an initiative launched by the Cinema Association in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It offers a program for publishing cinema-related books throughout the year, with the Saudi Film Festival handling the publication of these books. The encyclopedia was launched during the festival’s tenth edition in 2024, aiming in its first year to publish one hundred cinema books. It marks a foundational step for knowledge production in the cinema sector.

The Saudi Cinema Encyclopedia was launched with a publishing program intended to release one hundred books in its first year, starting in May 2024, aiming to establish an annual, periodic program to produce Arabic-language cinema books. This program works toward advancing the cinema industry and transitioning it from a basic level of writing to a level of professionalism and deep specialization so that the encyclopedia’s publications would be one of the infrastructure pillars for the cinema industry in Saud Arabia.

The first set of the encyclopedia’s cinematic publications debuted during the tenth edition of the Saudi Film Festival, held from May 2-9, 2024. It provided those interested in the cinema sector with around twenty-two books, authored and translated, presented by various authors and critics specialized in cinema and its sciences.

Through launching the encyclopedia, the Saudi Cinema Association aims to elevate the stages of the cinema industry in Saudi Arabia, maintain continuity in cinematic knowledge, uncover Saudi and Arab talents in writing, introduce new cinema books, and transfer specialized cinematic knowledge from other languages into Arabic so that it becomes accessible to those interested in the cinema industry.

The Saudi Cinema Encyclopedia is committed to selecting suitable books for publication under its program, emphasizing avoiding duplication and ensuring it presents in-depth content. Nominated books are selected by a specialized committee, so that, once released, they become scientific, cultural, and critical references for filmmakers, and a specialized library to develop production. Encyclopedia books go through multiple stages before approval and release, beginning with acceptance of the idea by committee members, followed by submission of the content, re-reading by the committee, discussion, and consensus on adoption.