DHAHRAN: The fourth edition of the Saudi Film Festival in Dhahran is treating audiences to a host of creative films on various socio-cultural issues.
As crowds gather to explore the country’s filmmaking talent, Arab News caught up with Ali Al-Kalthami, the director behind the film “Wasati.”
The movie was screened in Los Angeles in 2016 during the two-day Saudi Film Days event and addresses Saudi culture.
“The movie addresses some of the stereotypes people might have about Saudi Arabia and the people here,” Al-Kalthami told Arab News.
“Wasati” is based on real-life events that happened during the performance of a play in Riyadh 10 years ago. The play was called “Wasati bela Wastiah,” which roughly translates to “A Moderate Without a Middle-Ground,” and during one of its performances, a group of extremists attacked the theater.
That story made headlines and shook Saudi society and now, Al-Kalthami is recounting the events from a different perspective, using dark humor to get the message across to the audience.
When asked if he envisions widespread acceptance of the movie in Saudi Arabia, Al-Kalthami said: “This is an important story for film enthusiasts, for artists and for real people.”
Al-Kalthami is a director, producer, actor and co-founder of entertainment production and distribution companies C3Films and Telfaz11.
The Saudi Film Festival is screening a slew of movies dedicated to discussing pressing issues in the country. On the second day of the event, the following movies were screened at 4 p.m.: “Jaber” (drama, social), “Invasion” (fantasy), “Shells” (stop motion, social), “The Story of the Sword” (fantasy, thriller), “The Right Helmet” (drama, comedy), “Why do people listen to Shailaat?” (creative documentary, musical), “Humanization of the Cities” (documentary) and “Sadaqa Jariah” (drama, comedy).
During the second session, which ran at 6:30 p.m., the following movies were screened: “Tongue” (drama, thriller), “The Music Box Dancer” (psychodrama, social), “Tawq” (psychodrama) and “A matter of trust” (drama).
During the third session, which ran at 8:00 p.m., the screened movies included: “I Can’t Kiss Myself” (mystery, fantasy), “Refuge” (drama, thriller), “The Wedding Dress” (drama), “Zaina’s Cake” (drama, romance).
During the outdoor movies session, which ran at 9:00 p.m., Hungarian film “Sing” and Spanish film “I’ve Just had a Dream” were shown.
Saudi Film Festival highlights socio-cultural issues
Saudi Film Festival highlights socio-cultural issues
Vince Zampella, video game pioneer behind ‘Call of Duty,’ dies at 55
Vince Zampella, one of the creators behind such best-selling video games as “Call of Duty,” has died. He was 55.
Video game company Electronic Arts said Zampella died Sunday. The company did not disclose a cause of death.
In 2010, Zampella founded Respawn Entertainment, a subsidiary of EA, and he also was the former chief executive of video game developer Infinity Ward, the studio behind the successful “Call of Duty” franchise.
A spokesperson for Electronic Arts said in a statement on Monday that Zampella’s influence on the video game industry was “profound and far-reaching.”
“A friend, colleague, leader and visionary creator, his work helped shape modern interactive entertainment and inspired millions of players and developers around the world. His legacy will continue to shape how games are made and how players connect for generations to come,” a company spokesperson wrote.
One of Zampella’s crowning achievements was the creation of the Call of Duty franchise, which has sold more than half a billion games worldwide,
The first person shooter game debuted in 2003 as a World War II simulation and has sold over 500 million copies globally. Subsequent versions have delved into modern warfare and there is a live-action movie based on the game in production with Paramount Pictures.
In recent years, Zampella has been at the helm of the creation of the action adventure video games Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
