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France 24
France 24
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Thomas WATERHOUSE

Saudi Arabia bets on cinema: A smokescreen for human rights violations?

THE DEBATE © FRANCE 24 screengrab

FRANCE 24 brings you a special full-length report on how the conservative kingdom of Saudi Arabia is investing in home-grown cinema. Making films in stunning Saudi locations is also a way of attracting foreign tourists to the country. Young people are now rushing to see films at multiplex cinemas and women make up a large proportion of the audience – a sign of the country's liberalisation. But is all this simply a smokescreen for serious human rights violations? We discuss the issue in this debate.

>> Watch the report: Saudi Arabia wields cinema as tool of soft power

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