03 May, 2022 | Asharq Al-Awsat | 5 min read
Saudi Films Commission takes part as a guest of honor in Malom Arab Film Festival in its 12th edition, which began on the 4th of May and runs until the 9th of May.
Saudi Films Commission takes part as a guest of honor in Malom Arab Film Festival in its 12th edition, which began on the 4th of May and runs until the 9th of May. Through a program representing several Saudi films and special seminars to showcase the development of Saudi filmmaking.
The festival will present 5 Saudi feature films, which are “Forty Years and One Night” By director Mohammed Al-Halil, “The Tambour of Retribution” by Abdulaziz Al-Shalahi, “The journey” by Kibon Shizuno (a Saudi-Japanese co-production), “Shams Almaarif” by Faris Quds, “The 10th Way” by Omar Naim, in addition to seven short films: “Umm Al-Saaf and Al-Lif” by Hala Al-Haid (a Saudi-US co-production), “Hawas” by Khaled Zeidan, “Zawal” by Mujtaba Saeed (a Saudi production, with German-French contribution), “Saaf” by Wijdan Al-Marzouq, “Shams 89” by Mansour Al-Badran, “The Little Bird” by Khaled Fahd and “Noor Shams” by Fayza Amba.
The Four Saudi Films entering the competition are “Junon” by directors Maan Abdul Rahman and Yasser Abdul Rahman in the feature film competition category; “Phone Kharban” by director Raghad Al-Barqi, “Diyar Hisma” by Fahd Fayez for the short film competition category in addition to “Qawarer” by directors Noura Al-Mawlid, Ragheed Al-Nahdi, Ruba Khafaji, Nour Al-Amir, and Fatima Al-Hazmi in the “Arabian Nights” category.
The guest of honor program includes a symposium to introduce the Saudi Film Commission and its initiatives and showcase the “Talents Bridge” intensive training program, which belongs to the “Filmmakers” program and other projects that participate and support the Malmo Festival. The event will conclude with a Saudi artistic night, in which a Saudi musical orchestra will perform.
The participation at the festival is in line with the Saudi film industry’s plan to promote itself on global platforms and build partnerships that build the sector, said Abdullah Al-Eyaf, CEO of the Saudi Film Commission.
He added that international film festivals represent a space to highlight Saudi talents and attract global talent in the field of filmmaking, especially after the remarkable shift in the industrial environment in the Kingdom through a government system that supports and stimulates the industry, the partnership from the private sectors and the Kingdom’s geographical diversity have also enabled the transformation.
It was highlighted that Malmo’s Festival is the largest Arab film festival in Europe. Since its establishment in 2011, and through particular constructive dialogues, it has received growing public interest due to its location in Sweden. Malmo is home to a diverse range of cultures, and the festival aims to build bridges between people based on film as a universal visual language, capable of capturing the human aspect and its diversity.
