DHAHRAN: The ninth Saudi Film Festival kicked off at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran on Friday with local and international film and media professionals walking the red carpet.
Many of them expressed their excitement about the industry’s future in the Kingdom.
Saudi actress Reem Al-Habib told Arab News that, as a young girl, she could never have imagined her life as it is now. “Back in the day, I would never have thought that this would happen, but (Crown Prince) Mohammed bin Salman made me live this moment. I have goosebumps,” she said. “Now I can stand in my country and say I’m a Saudi actress and proceed from there. The world will look at us and take us as role models.”
Director Salma Murad, whose movie “Kabreet” is screening at the festival, expressed her excitement too. “The fact that the movie is real, and Saudi, and the fact that I am with my Saudi brothers and sisters, makes me very proud and happy,” Murad said. “I think this festival in particular promotes all filmmakers very positively, and thank God I’m part of this experience. My advice to the young ones is to keep at it. No matter how difficult it gets, just keep doing it.”
After the red carpet, participants headed to Ithra’s Cinema Hall where Saudi producer Salah Al-Fawzan — founder of Shamel Productions and producer of 34 feature films since the mid-Eighties — and Bahraini screenwriter Amin Saleh were being honored by the festival for their significant impact in the film industry, which has, according to the organizers, paved the way for cinema professionals today.
The winners of this year’s festival’s awards — valued at more than SR1.5 million ($400,000) — will be announced on May 11.
Saudi Film Festival opens with glamor and gratitude on the red carpet
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Saudi Film Festival opens with glamor and gratitude on the red carpet
- Saudi actress Reem Al-Habib told Arab News that, as a young girl, she could never have imagined her life as it is now
- Director Salma Murad, whose movie “Kabreet” is screening at the festival, expressed her excitement too
Saudi deputy foreign minister calls for Sudanese unity during meeting in Cairo
- Waleed Al-Khuraiji says a political solution to the civil war in Sudan must be based on respect for its sovereignty
- He rejects quasi-government formed by one of the warring factions in July, denounces external intervention in form of weapons supplies and foreign fighters
LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s deputy foreign minister, Waleed Al-Khuraiji, on Wednesday stressed the important need to maintain the territorial integrity of Sudan.
Speaking at the fifth Sudan peace coordination meeting in Cairo, he said a political solution to the civil war that began in April 2023 must be based on respect for Sudanese sovereignty and unity.
He highlighted the efforts the Kingdom is making in an attempt to ensure stability in Sudan, help reach a ceasefire agreement that ends the conflict, prevent the collapse of state institutions, and maintain the unity, territorial integrity and capabilities of the country, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Al-Khuraiji also said that Saudi efforts to address the worsening humanitarian crisis caused by the war are continuing, in an attempt to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people.
It is important that the conflicting factions return to political dialogue, he added, as stated in the Jeddah Declaration of May 2023 and the short-term ceasefire deal that was agreed that same month.
The war in Sudan, between rival military factions the Sudan Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, poses a threat to regional stability, Al-Khuraiji warned.
He rejected the quasi-government formed by the Rapid Support Forces in July last year as an obstruction to ongoing efforts to resolve the crisis, a threat to the unity and sovereignty of Sudan, and a risk to regional security and the safety of the Red Sea.
“The announcement of parallel entities outside the framework of legitimate institutions is worrying and disrupts efforts through the political track to solve the crisis,” he said.
The prevention of external intervention in the conflict, including illegal support in the form of weapon supplies and foreign fighters, is crucial for efforts to achieve a ceasefire and facilitate humanitarian operations, Al-Khuraiji added.
He also called for the establishment of safe corridors so that deliveries of aid can reach those in need, similar to a mechanism established in August last year at the Adre crossing on Sudan’s border with Chad.
