Close to 400 enthusiastic film fans filled a hall for the opening ceremony of the 3rd annual Saudi Film Festival at a culture and arts centre in the Gulf coast city of Dammam on Thursday night.
112 candidates are participating with 70 films nominated for the awards. 24 of the filmmakers are Saudi women and 45 of the films will be first-time entries for an audience that is expected to reach 1,500 attendees, according to reports.
Interest in film and cinema in Saudi Arabia is growing. Although movie theaters are banned in the Kingdom, Saudi citizens rank among the most active YouTube viewers in the world. The purpose of the film festival is to give a platform and audience to support the Saudi Arabia’s budding film industry.
According to Chairman of the Board of the Association of Arts and Culture, Sultan Al Bazeiyi, the association is overcoming challenges and welcomes creative people who think outside the box and “continuously impress us with their high quality work and unlimited passion.”
According to a report in the AFP, the opening night featured world premieres for three of the festival entries. Rakan Al-Harbi’s fantasy “Their Stained Hearts” tells the story of a museum for “terrorists” and the conversation a visitor has with a wounded bomber lying bloodied among his victims. “Hope”, is a thought-provoking drama by Hajar Al-Naim about mercy killing, and Mohammed Salman’s humorous documentary “Yellow” features taxi drivers in Qatif city.
Festival director Ahmed Al-Mulla told the AFP, “We try to raise the standards, to make it better…We have a lot of support from the youth. Nobody can stop them.”
