The Great Mecca Feast

The Great Mecca Feast
Title card
Het Groote Mekka-Feest
Directed by	George Krugers
Cinematography	George Krugers
Production company	Krugers Filmbedrijf
Release date	9 November 1928 (1928-11-09) (Netherlands)
Running time	72 minutes
Country	Dutch East Indies
Language	Silent film

The Great Mecca Feast (Dutch: Het Groote Mekka-Feest) is a 1928 documentary film by George Krugers. Divided into four acts, it opens with a group of Muslim men from the Dutch East Indies who undertake the hajj pilgrimage, then showcases elements of everyday life and worship in the Hejaz – including the hajj pilgrimage itself. As Mecca had long been closed to non-Muslims, Krugers passed as a Muslim and recorded video- and photographic documentation of the pilgrimage. In this, he was supported by people in both the East Indies and the Hejaz.

Krugers hoped that the film would be screened at the Paris Colonial Exposition, and although it was well-received upon being premiered to Dutch audiences on 9 November 1928, subsequent showings were rare. The film, described as the first documentary about the hajj pilgrimage, is the only one of Krugers' works known to have survived. It has been analyzed within the context of colonial networks and control over the hajj process, as well as a primary document providing insight into the experiences of contemporary pilgrims.