Saudi Arabia’s Groundbreaking Telfaz11 Studio Announces Satirical Film ‘Saify’ Involving Banned Religious Sermons
variety.comNick Vivarelli International Correspondent Saudi studio Telefaz11, the groundbreaking label behind hit dark comedy “Mandoob” — in which a struggling man becomes a bootleg booze runner in Ryadh — is set to push the kingdom’s cultural envelope a bit further with a humorous take on the world of Saudi Arabia‘s ultraconservative clerics.
Telfaz11 has announced that its next title will be the satirical drama “Saify,” directed by studio chief Wael Abu Mansour and set against the backdrop of the late 1990s, a time when, incidentally, cinema was banned. “Saify” revolves around its titular character, a man in his 40s who is “clinging to the dream of quick wealth despite his poor skills by holding on to his small cassette shop which sells banned religious sermons,” according to the provided synopsis.
During the 1990s, dozens of stores in Riyadh and other Saudi cities sold cassettes of recorded sermons that expanded the popularity of Islamic clerics.
However, some religious sermons were banned, including ones by influential religious figure Salman al-Odah, known for his 1990s sermons “Come for Jihad” and “The Industry of Death” that circulated on clandestine audiotapes throughout Saudi Arabia.
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