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The Saudi Question
Thursday, October 7th, 2004
The question facing Saudi Arabia, and those dependent on its oil exports, is whether the kingdom will find a path to democratic reform or succumb to a rising tide of Islamic extremism. The Saudi kingdom, today dangerously at war with itself, controls approximately 25 percent of the world's oil. It is the fulcrum on which the global economy teeters and the home of Islam's holiest sites -- and of terrorists whose recent attacks against Westerners living on Saudi soil have provoked international outrage.
Despite stringent restrictions on Western media, WIDE ANGLE has obtained unusual access to the kingdom and its ruling elite at a time when the kingdom's rulers have themselves come under attack by extremists. With an introduction to the Saudi royal family from Prince Turki al-Faisal, former Saudi Chief of Intelligence and a leading royal reformer, "The Saudi Question" explores whether the Saudi government is capable of making lasting democratic reforms in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the US-led invasion of Iraq.
The film includes access to an extraordinary emergency council session convened by Crown Prince Abdullah, the de facto ruler of the desert kingdom. Also featured is Jamal Khaleefa, Osama bin Laden's brother-in-law and former close friend who is well acquainted with the threat that Islamic radicalism poses to the kingdom and to the royal family. WIDE ANGLE also speaks with ordinary Saudis, both those who encourage the ruling elite to initiate progressive reforms and the Wahhabist hardliners who preach the destruction of all infidels. "The Saudi Question" sheds valuable light on the obstacles Saudi Arabia faces on the road to reform and the rising dangers of Islamic extremism.
 Watch a preview video
Producer Anthony Makin of Tooth, an independent production company in South Africa, has made documentaries for Channel 4 and the BBC in the UK, and PBS, TLC, and the DISCOVERY CHANNEL in the US. His films have won awards at the Sundance Film Festival, the Stuttgart International Film Festival, and the New York International Film Festival. Makin produced and directed WARSHIP, a two-part series that follows crew members aboard an aircraft carrier as they prepare for war in Iraq. Other recent documentaries include THE LAST AFRIKANER, about South Africa's first multi-racial elections, and STORM OVER THE OKAVANGO, about the environmental threat to Botswana's Okavango Delta.
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