Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have agreed to show movies and TV shows produced in each other’s country. The two nations have signed a sort of cultural agreement which will have Saudi Arabia screening Pakistani movies and TV shows and Pakistan showing Saudi TV and movies.
Pakistani movies to be shown in Saudi Arabia, and vice versa
Fawad Chadhry, federal minister for Information and Broadcasting in Pakistan, and Dr. Awad bin Saleh, who serves as Saudi Arabia’s information minister, finalized the arrangement between the two countries last week in Islamabad. They spoke about changes in media and media devices, including the ongoing transition from traditional media to new media, Arab News reported.
The two agreed to the pact in an attempt to promote social and cultural ties between their nations. By exposing citizens of their respective nations to each other’s films and TV shows, the two leaders hope to build upon the relations their nations already enjoy through religion and society. They also hope that by screening each other’s films and TV shows, citizens of their nations will be able to better understand each other.
Actors and actresses crossing international lines
The cultural pact will also enable Pakistani and Saudi actors and actresses to build up a fanbase outside their own countries. Pakistani officials told media outlets in the country that the nation has struck cultural pacts with other Islamic nations in previous years. They hope this new one to show Pakistani movies and TV shows in Saudi Arabia will be just as fruitful as similar agreements have proven to be in the past.
According to The Express Tribune, Saudi Arabia is taking some extra steps to hold up its end of the deal. Riyadh plans to construct approximately 350 cinemas with more than 2,500 screens over the next 12 years. Saudi officials apparently expect the Pakistani movies to go over very well with their nation’s younger citizens. They project that screening Pakistani movies will bring in almost $1 million in ticket revenue every year after the new cinemas are up and running.
