At the 77th Cannes Film Festival...the Saudi tent brings together all the Arabs

2024-05-18 2024-05-18T12:13:40Z

Weather of Arabia - The Saudi pavilion participating in the Cannes Film Festival has become a gathering center for filmmakers from around the world, including directors, stars, screenwriters, critics, and technicians.

This year, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is participating for the first time in the history of the festival, which is celebrating its 77th session, with the film “Noura” as part of the “Un Certain Regard” competition, which is a prominent competition in which top international directors compete.

The Saudi tent is witnessing a distinguished cinematic activity, as the government, institutions and cinematic bodies participate, such as the Film Commission, the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation, Al-Ula Film Company, and other parties working to promote the Saudi cinema industry. These parties focus on using scientific methods to promote the cinematic industry in Saudi Arabia, and are interested in sending... Young people interested in the film industry, including directors, screenwriters, and technicians, to advance progress in this sector.

Cannes Film Festival in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Film Commission is organizing a series of seminars and dialogue sessions during the festival. These sessions include a symposium on Thursday entitled “The Experience of Filmmakers in Emerging Markets,” with the participation of Saudi producer Ayman Khoja, Saudi director Hamzah Jamjoom, Zambian director Rungano Nyoni, and Somali director Mo Hrawi. And the director of Chroma Entertainment Studios from the Philippines. A second session entitled “Photos in Saudi Arabia” will be held, showcasing the most beautiful places that can be used in cinematography, such as mountains, beach areas, AlUla, and NEOM.

The events also include a symposium for the Film Commission entitled “Saudi Communication in the Plage des Palmes” on May 17, and a dialogue session on “Mental health and well-being in the cinema sector, sponsored by a healthy work environment” on May 19 in the Screen Terrace area. The Film Commission concludes its activities on May 20 with a ceremony. A reception in the Saudi tent for two hours, with the participation of the Saudi Film Forum and international film companies.

To introduce the initiative and discuss opportunities with producers and specialized international companies; #Saudi_Treasures at the Cannes Film Festival. @KonozSA #Ministry_of_Information pic.twitter.com/RKcbbJ7C8q

- Ministry of Information (@media_ksa) May 18, 2024

Projects for the Red Sea Festival Foundation

The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation revealed that four projects supported by it will be presented in the current session of the festival. Among these projects is the film “Noura” by director Tawfiq Al-Zaidi, which is the first Saudi film to participate in the festival’s official competitions, as it is shown within the “Un Certain Regard” section. “Noura” is considered the first Saudi film to be filmed entirely in the city of AlUla. It was previously shown during the activities of the third session of the Red Sea Film Festival, where it won the Best Saudi Film award.

Noura movie

The events of the movie “Noura” revolve around the nineties of the last century, about an ambitious and dreamy girl who loves life and art, despite the lack of artistic opportunities available to her. During the events, Noura gets to know the teacher Nader, who comes from the city and reveals to them that art can be a means of communication.

The film stars Yacoub Al-Farhan, Maria Bahrawi, and Abdullah Al-Sadhan.

In addition to “Noura,” the Cannes Film Festival will screen the Egyptian film “I Raised My Eyes to the Heavens” by directors Nada Riad and Ayman Al-Amir, the film “To an Unknown Land” by director Mahdi Fleifel, and the film “Animal” by director Emma Pinstan. The Red Sea Foundation expressed its pride in funding and supporting these exceptional works.

The Red Sea International Film Festival also renewed its cooperation with Vanity Fair Europe by hosting the “Women in Cinema” initiative, which will be held on the sidelines of the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Six women will be honored, including Aseel Omran and Adwa Fahd.

Aseel Omran is a famous actress and singer who began her artistic career in 2007. She participated in many dramas such as the series “Black Crows” on Netflix, “Freakable,” and “To Be or Not to Be.” In the field of cinema, she appeared in the movie “What If?”, and also achieved success in musical theater, and she is the first Saudi actress to appear in Egyptian cinema.

As for Adwa Fahd, she entered the world of acting in 2019, and participated in many films, such as “Among the Sands,” which was shown at the 2022 Red Sea International Film Festival. She has 12 films and a number of television series to her credit.