Dubai: A trailblazing Saudi film featuring the country's first silver screen actress will be released this summer in West Asia - except the ultra-conservative kingdom where cinemas are banned.
Keif al-Hal (How Are You?) is the first film produced by Saudi Arabia-based entertainment company Rotana, which is owned by liberal-minded Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.
The comic flick delineates the tension between moderates and religious extremists and the struggle, especially among the young, to embrace globalisation while retaining cherished Islamic values.
Given the absence of a Saudi film industry, the film was shot in Dubai - a booming and relatively tolerant Gulf city.
The film has been directed by Palestinian-Canadian Izidore Musallam while the script has been written by a Lebanese national and an Egyptian.
Keeping the strict social norms of the state in mind, the producers had to treat the story with utmost care to avoid hurting sentiments.
"We were very careful not to show anything offensive about the Saudi society," head of production at Rotana's film division Ayman Halawani said.
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