Born in Mecca in 1947, Abdullah Al-Muhaisen grew up in a literary environment, as his family atmosphere was filled with reading and culture. Reading was the only form of entertainment available to him, and his earliest readings focused on history—both the history of his country and that of the Arab world. Al-Muhaisen completed his primary and middle school education in Saudi Arabia, then went to Lebanon to pursue his secondary studies. Afterward, he traveled to the United Kingdom to study cinema at the London School of Film, where he earned an advanced diploma in film directing in 1975. During the same period, between 1973 and 1975, he also attended the Royal Academy of British Television, spending six additional months mastering the theoretical foundations of filmmaking. He returned to Saudi Arabia in the same year to establish the International Company for Advertising and Publicity. From the mid-1970s onward, Abdullah Al-Muhaisen began his pioneering cinematic journey.

As a result of this remarkable career, Al-Muhaisen earned a prominent place among Arab filmmakers. This recognition was evident when he was selected as a jury member for the 2nd Cairo International Film Festival in 1978 and later for the 1st Gulf Festival for Television Production in Kuwait in 1979.

Alone in the Fog

It is natural that any discussion of Abdullah Al-Muhaisen, at least in terms of his cinematic history, must begin by establishing his place in the history of cinema in his country. The author first notes that this history appears winding but can generally be linked to what may be called the “Abdullah Al-Muhaisen phenomenon”, or perhaps the “founder of Saudi cinema.” The author reflects on two decades of observations in Saudi cities before the revolutionary decision to revive cinema in the Kingdom under official patronage.

During one of his visits to Saudi Arabia at the beginning of this century, the author had the opportunity, during a press tour in Riyadh and its surroundings, to witness a phenomenon he had not anticipated: in many cafés on the outskirts of the capital, giant television screens displayed films, creating a cinema experience comparable to what is usually shown in theaters.

Founder of Saudi Cinema

The Abdullah Al-Muhaisen phenomenon became a rich subject that the author skillfully documented by tracing Al-Muhaisen’s cinematic career from its beginnings. Al-Muhaisen worked for many years behind the scenes until he had the opportunity to bring his ambitious cinematic projects into the public eye through a series of films that transcended local boundaries.

He produced the documentary “Assassination of a City” (1976–1977), which examined the Lebanese Civil War that erupted in 1975 between various Lebanese factions. Notably, the film was shot immediately after the outbreak of the war, at a time when Beirut was extremely dangerous to visit. Despite this, the variety of shots and the abundance of footage that Al-Muhaisen captured from the heart of the events gave the film significant documentary value, providing a vivid record of the horrors of war. The author notes that Al-Muhaisen used a dense cinematic language that reflected the political dimension of the conflict, linking the “game of adults” with that of “children.”

He also directed “Shadows of Silence” (2006), an artistically reflective examination of Arab realities. Through this film, Al-Muhaisen paved the way for Saudi cinema with strength and skill, yet with caution. From the outset, he intended “Shadows of Silence” to be a film of both cause and message, ideologically, and it featured several Arab artists, gaining notable acceptance among Saudi and Arab audiences.

In 1976, Al-Muhaisen established the first fully integrated private radio studio and later presented his television film “The Development of Riyadh” in Vancouver, Canada, earning a special recognition from the United Nations for highlighting the city’s growth during its early stages. In 1982, he released his second cinematic work, “Islam: Bridge to the Future,” through which he ventured into Afghanistan to document scenes of war. During the 1990s, Al-Muhaisen recorded over 300 hours of footage during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990, producing his third film, “The Shock.”

Abdullah Al-Muhaisen approached these films with a broad, not merely local perspective, which explains the wide reach and influence of his work.

Source: “Abdullah Al-Muhaisen… Pioneer of Cinema in Saudi Arabia” by Abdulrahman Mazhar Al-Halush