CineHouse will screen a curated and regularly updated program of local and international films showcasing indie cinema classics from across the Arab world.
Saudi film producer Faisal Baltyuor is set to open the first arthouse cinema in the Kingdom soon.
Baltyuor’s CineHouse comprises three screening rooms that can accommodate a total of 80 people. The facility features state-of-the-art 4K laser projectors and an Atmos 7.1 sound system. Its restaurant is inspired by New York’s legendary 1920s nightclub, Cotton Club.
CineHouse will screen a curated and regularly updated program of local and international films and film cycles showcasing indie cinema classics from across the Arab world. Further, The arthouse cinema will also host a series of seminars and panel discussions with prominent directors. Cinehouse is also on a mission to hire and nurture Saudi talent. The venue has committed to supporting local professionals across various roles in order to ensure that Cinehouse remains a space where local talent is both celebrated and developed.
Cinehouse’s first screening will be a never-before-publicly-shown 1975 documentary Development of Riyadh City by Saudi director Abdullah Al-Muheisen, a pioneer in the independent Saudi film scene. Other films set to screen in its opening cycle include Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux, The Burned by Yemeni director Amr Gamal, Fallen Leaves by Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki and Leila’s Brothers by Iranian director Saeed Roustayi.
Baltyuor has been involved in some of Saudi Arabia’s most successful titles. His company, CineWaves Film presented 16 titles at last year’s Red Sea International Film Festival, and is recognised as a major force in Arab indie cinema. It has produced several critical successes like ‘Hanging Gardens’, directed by an Iraqi filmmaker and winner of Best Film at the Red Sea Film Festival in 2022, and ‘Goodbye Julia’ in 2023, the first Sudanese film to ever screen at Cannes.
