RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman is sponsoring the 4th Saudi International Conference on Information Technology on Sunday.
The venue of the conference is the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Riyadh. The conference seeks to put forward the appropriate and supportive infrastructure for the initiatives and programs of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. The city created its initiatives within the National Transformation Program 2020, which aims to maximize the local content in the Kingdom’s key technical sectors, including those which are IT-related.
The four-day event will look at mega-data, analysis, design of interface and applied data platforms, technical data images, analysis of social media, in addition to Internet analysis and smart cities. This will be an opportunity for researchers to look at the latest research and uses of mega-data projects.
Three experts from outside the Kingdom will present papers. They are Hamido Fujita, professor at Iwate Prefectural University in Japan, who will talk about policy systems in health protection; professor Khoreshied Ahmad from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, who will talk on different applications for vocal and image data; and Tomas Shultz from Munich University who will discuss mega gene data in psycho-biological analysis.
Director of Program at the Joint Centers of Excellence Anas Faris will present a paper on dynamic city platforms, and from the National Center for Computer Technology and Applied Mathematics, Amar Al-Inizi will talk about the mechanism that provides suggestions for users of site-testimonial systems.
The sessions will also include data mining applications, image processing and natural language processing and applications, simulation and infrastructure.
The conference has launched a website for its programs and workshops with the link: kacstit2016.kacst.edu.sa.
KACST to host 4th Saudi international IT meet
KACST to host 4th Saudi international IT meet
Saudi Film Festival to return in April with focus on Korean cinema
- Ahmed Al-Mulla, founder and director of the Saudi Film Festival, said in a statement: “We’re excited to welcome filmmakers to our annual gathering. Our doors are open to all creators, and filmmakers remain at the heart of everything we do
DHAHRAN: The Saudi Film Festival, organized by the Cinema Association in partnership with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture and supported by the Saudi Film Commission, has announced that it will launch at Ithra in Dhahran between April 23-29.
This year’s festival explores the theme of “Cinema of the Journey,” presenting a selection of Arab and international films, both short and feature-length, that center on journeys and movement as essential storytelling elements.
The program includes road movies, travel narratives and films where physical or emotional journeys drive the narrative.
The theme encourages Saudi filmmakers to explore this subject through their own perspectives. It positions cinema itself as an act of continuous transition, where identity, place, and time converge to shape the human experience.
FASTFACTS
• This year’s Saudi Film Festival will explore the theme of ‘Cinema of the Journey,’ presenting a selection of Arab and international films that center on journeys and movement as essential storytelling elements.
• The program includes road movies, travel narratives and films where physical or emotional journeys drive the narrative.
Following last year’s focus on Japanese cinema, the festival will present a special “Spotlight on Korean Cinema” this year.
Ahmed Al-Mulla, founder and director of the Saudi Film Festival, said in a statement: “We’re excited to welcome filmmakers to our annual gathering. Our doors are open to all creators, and filmmakers remain at the heart of everything we do. This year’s festival creates an atmosphere filled with inspiration, idea exchange, and shared learning. It’s a celebration of cinematic creativity for everyone.”
Tariq Al-Khawaji, deputy director of the festival, added: “At Ithra, we’re proud of our longstanding partnership with the Cinema Association. It has enabled the festival’s growth and thematic diversity year after year, which we see clearly in how we empower filmmakers and create opportunities to engage with global cinema.
“The festival continues to grow across all areas, from preparations and participation to industry expectations locally and regionally. That makes attention to every detail essential.”
Since its launch in 2008, the Saudi Film Festival has played a central role in nurturing local and Gulf cinema. After intermittent early editions, it has now established itself as an annual platform for narrative and documentary competitions, industry programs and project markets.
By bringing together emerging and established filmmakers in Dhahran each year, the festival strengthens Saudi Arabia’s growing presence on the global film stage.
