JEDDAH: Six films from Saudi Arabia will headline the second annual Young Saudi Film Festival, which opens in Los Angeles this week, the New York Film Academy (NYFA) has announced.
The festival on Feb. 18 at the Harmony Gold Theater on Sunset Boulevard will also showcase two films from Egypt. The eight short films range from five to 20 minutes in length, and cover a wide range of genres, from comedies to dramas and family-friendly screenplays.
This year’s festival arrives as film enjoys a renaissance in the Kingdom, with the lifting of of a 35-year ban on cinemas, along with a multimillion-dollar contract with the cinema corporation Vue International to open more than 35 cinemas in the Kingdom, the first to begin screenings later this year. This, together with the conclusion of the 11th annual Asian Film Festival held in Jeddah this month, has inspired Saudis to pursue filmmaking ideas within the Arab world and abroad.
Young Saudi Film Festival (YSFF) President and NYFA student Rakan Anneghaimshi highlighted the difficulties young Saudis faced attempting to break into the film industry. “Last year Saudi filmmakers didn’t have any theaters where they could show their films and creative productions. With hope and consistent effort, cinema is now back again in Saudi Arabia.
“Our goal since Abdul Aziz Al-Mutari and I started YSFF was to have a platform to link filmmakers to each other so they can exchange experiences, knowledge, and connections,” he said. “It’s going to be the same case this year. We had an impressive variety of films submitted from around the world, and we congratulate all the filmmakers. It was very challenging for our selection committee to choose only eight films.”
Director of NYFA’s Los Angeles campus Dan Mackler said: “As an international film school and home to many Saudi Arabian alumni and students, the New York Film Academy is very happy with Saudi Arabia’s decision to reopen theaters. We share Rakan’s excitement for this second event and expect it to surpass last year’s impact on bringing talented filmmakers to light.”
Along with the films, the festival will show a congratulatory video by Saudi Arabian actor Nasser Al-Gassaby, as well as an original performance piece by the renowned NYFA improv troupe. The festival will conclude with a question-and-answer session moderated by YSFF host Maan bin Abdulrahman.
Dean of enrolment services for NYFA Tami Alexander said aspiring Saudi musicians and filmmakers deserved support. “We are very proud that NYFA alumni and students are leading the media and entertainment industry in Saudi Arabia. We support Rakan and Abdul Aziz’s vision for the Young Saudi Film Festival and are happy to sponsor the festival in Los Angeles. After the announcement that cinemas will be allowed in the Kingdom again, I could not be more thrilled,” she said.
Alexander said that since 2011 NYFA had been encouraging Saudi visual and performing artists to study at the academy. “The Young Saudi Film Festival is a time to celebrate our current students and alumni, and an opportunity for the entire community to support local artists and cinema in Saudi Arabia and the GCC,” she said.
NYFA graduate Mohamed Al-Yamani, director and writer of “Hero Complex,” which will be shown at the festival, said: “This is a great way to showcase our talents as upcoming filmmakers to our peers and future work associates. I’m delighted to see the NYFA is investing in the Saudi filmmaking community.”
The short films screening at this year’s festival are: “Bloodline,” written and directed by Saud Al-Moghirah, produced by Javier Olmo; “Eternity,” written and directed by Mohamed Makki, produced by Mohamed Makki and Mohamed Obaidullah; “Hero Complex,” written and directed by Mohamed Al-Yamani, produced by Mohamed Al-Yamani and Douglas Spain; “The Nostalgia,” written by Sarah Lotfy, directed and produced by Moataz Badran; “Piece of Wood,” by Yassin Koptan; “The Scapegoat,” written by Charlie Millen and Stephen Ranieri, directed by Talha B., produced by Maan B; “Spirit of North,” by Mohamed Ali Al-Marhabi; “Under Concrete,” by Meshal Al-Jaser.
Saudi filmmakers in the spotlight at LA festival
Saudi filmmakers in the spotlight at LA festival
Direct KSA to Iraq flight routes announced
- These flights, along with flights to Baghdad and Irbil, will commence from June 1.
RIYADH: The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation announced the launch of direct flights from Dammam to Najaf, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.
The decision is in line with the Kingdom’s national aviation sector strategy, aimed at doubling capacity to accommodate over 330 million passengers annually, and extending services to more than 250 global destinations.
These flights, along with flights to Baghdad and Irbil, will commence from June 1.
Ministry of Hajj and Umrah praises Iraqi authorities for arresting fraudsters touting fake Hajj trips
- A ministry source in the statement also warned prospective pilgrims to beware of unauthorized Hajj offers being promoted this year
- The ministry made it clear that visas for Umrah, tourism, work, family visits, transit, and other categories do not grant eligibility to perform Hajj
RIYADH: The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah expressed its gratitude for actions taken by the Supreme Commission for Hajj and Umrah in the Republic of Iraq that resulted in the prosecution of more than 25 companies fraudulently engaged in commercial Hajj operations.
A ministry source in the statement also warned prospective pilgrims to beware of unauthorized Hajj offers being promoted this year, primarily through social media.
Participation in Hajj requires pilgrims to obtain a legitimate Hajj visa issued by the authorities in the Kingdom in coordination with Hajj affairs offices in their respective countries, or via the Nusuk Hajj platform for those countries that do not have an official Hajj office.
The source said that the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is monitoring advertisements from companies and campaigns, as well as identifying fake accounts on social networks allegedly offering Hajj packages at enticing prices.
The ministry made it clear that visas for Umrah, tourism, work, family visits, transit, and other categories do not grant eligibility to perform Hajj. It urged pilgrims to be careful not to fall victim to companies and others claiming to offer commercial Hajj campaigns or other misleading initiatives.
“Regulations must be followed and legally documented permits, as represented by the official Hajj visa, must be issued, so a safe, secure, well-managed Hajj program and fair representation to all nationalities is provided,” Mohsen Tutla, head of the World Hajj and Umrah Convention, told Arab News.
“Hajj is a mega event with more than 2 million worshippers. Can one imagine, if order was not imposed and (the event) not regulated, chaos would ensue,” he added.
In the statement, the ministry calls for everyone’s cooperation to help combat and report fraudulent companies and campaigns, and to seek information only by visiting its official website and engaging with its channels on social networks.
World’s largest Arabic opera opens in Riyadh
- The opera was produced by the Saudi Theater and Performing Arts Commission
RIYADH: “Zarqa Al-Yamama,” the world’s first and largest grand opera in Arabic, made its debut at the King Fahad Cultural Center in Riyadh, taking the audience on a lyrical journey through one of the best-known folkloric tales in the Arabian Peninsula.
The opera was produced by the Saudi Theater and Performing Arts Commission, and will run until May 4, telling the story of the central character’s attempts to warn her Jadis tribe of an imminent invasion.
Saudi chemistry duo add to KSA medal haul
- Team members were selected by Mawhiba
RIYADH: Two Saudi students have added to the Kingdom’s medal haul at the 2024 Mendeleev International Chemistry Olympiad being held in China from April 20-27.
Hassan Abdul Jalil Al-Khalifa, a third-grade secondary student from the Provincial Department of Education, Eastern Province, and fellow student Ali Salah Al-Moussa claimed bronze medals at the competition, lifting the Kingdom’s overall tally to three silver and 20 bronze.
More than 150 students from 27 countries are competing at the 58th session of the Olympiad.
Saudi Arabia is represented by a team of six students from several educational institutions.
Team members were selected by the King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, also known as Mawhiba.
Students were chosen after attending a series of forums over the course of two years, and were trained by Mawhiba, in partnership with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
Saudi deputy minister of interior heads delegation at first conference to combat drug trafficking
- Kingdom’s participation in the conference was an extension of its efforts in the war on drugs
MAUTIRIUS: Dr. Nasser bin Abdul Aziz Al-Dawood, Saudi deputy minister of interior, headed the Kingdom’s delegation participating in the first conference to combat drug trafficking and substance abuse, held in Mauritius, which concluded on Thursday.
Al-Dawood said that the Kingdom’s participation in the conference was an extension of its efforts in the war on drugs, monitoring and diagnosing their effects and harms, and strengthening international cooperation procedures and information exchange to combat the activities of organized crime networks in general, and drug crime in particular.
