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Culture Ministry Inaugurates Saudi Film Confex in Riyadh

The “Saudi Film Confex” is a platform that brings together relevant parties to enhance and promote filmmaking - SPA
The “Saudi Film Confex” is a platform that brings together relevant parties to enhance and promote filmmaking - SPA
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Culture Ministry Inaugurates Saudi Film Confex in Riyadh

The “Saudi Film Confex” is a platform that brings together relevant parties to enhance and promote filmmaking - SPA
The “Saudi Film Confex” is a platform that brings together relevant parties to enhance and promote filmmaking - SPA

Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister of Culture Hamed bin Mohammed Fayez inaugurated the first edition of the Saudi Film Confex on Sunday at the Riyadh Front EXPO.

The event, which was held under the patronage of Minister of Culture and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Film Commission Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, draws select Arab and international filmmakers and several national, regional and international directors and industry experts in the Kingdom.

In the opening speech, Fayez stressed that art and culture continue to represent the spirit of Saudi society and are fundamental pillars of the Kingdom’s development.

According to SPa, he pointed to the efforts of the Ministry of Culture and the Saudi Film Commission to build a bright future for filmmaking and arts, in line with the Saudi Vision 2030, which was launched by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

“Over the past few years, the film industry has been changing rapidly. Saudi films have placed our country onto the cultural world map in national and international arenas, and continue to highlight the creativity and talent available throughout the Kingdom,” Fayez said.
He stressed that the Ministry of Culture seeks to support filmmaking by establishing and developing industry-specific forums, such as the Saudi Film Confex, to ensure the exchange of experience, and facilitate communication among artists, local creators and international filmmakers.

He added: “We believe in the power of cinema and films and their prominent role in changing reality for the better and spreading our culture throughout the world. Therefore, the Film Commission will continue to support artistic and cinematic initiatives, contribute to developing skills, and expand the horizons of creativity, all of which come within the framework of our firm commitment to developing the art and cinema sector in our country.”

The “Saudi Film Confex” is a platform that brings together relevant parties to enhance and promote filmmaking and to publicize its importance to the national economy and investment opportunities in this field through three main pillars: industry trends, global practices, and challenges and opportunities in filmmaking; more than 100 experts and international figures in the field of filmmaking take part in it.

Some 50 speakers, including executives, investors and specialists from all over the world, will discuss the latest topics and technologies that support the film industry and its operations, and organize workshops, training sessions, and displays of cinematic products, projects and innovations related to filmmaking in the Kingdom and globally.

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Culture

Melania Trump Takes China’s First Lady on a Museum Outing That’s Watched for Diplomacy and Style

First lady of China Peng Liyuan and US first lady Melania Trump pose for a photo with children during a visit to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art from Director of the museum Chase Robinson in Washington, DC, US, September 24, 2026. (Reuters)
First lady of China Peng Liyuan and US first lady Melania Trump pose for a photo with children during a visit to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art from Director of the museum Chase Robinson in Washington, DC, US, September 24, 2026. (Reuters)
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Melania Trump Takes China’s First Lady on a Museum Outing That’s Watched for Diplomacy and Style

First lady of China Peng Liyuan and US first lady Melania Trump pose for a photo with children during a visit to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art from Director of the museum Chase Robinson in Washington, DC, US, September 24, 2026. (Reuters)
First lady of China Peng Liyuan and US first lady Melania Trump pose for a photo with children during a visit to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art from Director of the museum Chase Robinson in Washington, DC, US, September 24, 2026. (Reuters)

Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan on Thursday toured one of the largest Asian art museums in the United States, celebrating cultural ties between the US and China during a high-profile diplomatic visit to Washington.

Leaving their husbands behind at the White House, the first ladies visited the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art in a display of soft power that united two figures known for fusing style and diplomacy. It was the first public meeting in nearly a decade between the spouses, one a former fashion model and the other a famed soprano.

The first ladies arrived to crowds gathered on sidewalks across from the museum, many waving Chinese and American flags.

Inside the museum, the first ladies toured the Peacock Room, a gilded green, blue and gold dining room that was once housed in a London mansion before opening to the public in Washington in 1923. The room was created by American artist James McNeill Whistler.

They also paused to look at a stone disk from ancient China, along with “Princess from the Land of Porcelain,” an oil painting by Whistler hanging in the Peacock Room and featuring a kimono-clad woman standing and holding a fan. Later, youngsters from Hope Chinese School serenaded the women with renditions of famous Chinese folk songs, “Song and Smile” and “Jasmine Flower.”

The meeting drew global attention, featuring two powerful and glamorous women from the world's two biggest economies.

“They definitely add to the grandiosity and the symbolic significance of this trip,” said Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center, a Washington think tank.

Every interaction between the first ladies was scrutinized for clues about the standing between their countries, Sun said. Also closely watched were their style choices, which are followed in fashion circles. Melania Trump wore a black tweed jacket and skirt from Alexander McQueen, while Peng wore a qipao-style dress with a traditional collar adorned with a silver flower.

Their last public meeting was in 2017, when President Donald Trump stopped in Beijing during a tour of Asia in his first term. During that trip, the first ladies shared tea at the Palace Museum and visited a school where students performed songs and dances. Melania Trump did not attend her husband’s visit to Beijing earlier this year.

Trump and Peng approach their roles differently

Peng, 63, has embraced a more public role than her predecessors, who rarely attended state visits and usually stayed in the background. Melania Trump, who is 56, keeps a lower profile, often preferring to work behind the scenes.

They split off from the White House on Thursday while Donald Trump and Xi Jinping held private talks, touring the museum after a White House welcome ceremony and before a lavish state dinner.

Peng’s last trip to the White House was in 2015, when President Barack Obama hosted Xi. A noted star before her husband's rise, Peng ascended to national fame in the 1980s as a military singer, performing patriotic songs in full dress uniform.

As the children's choir sang on Thursday, Peng quietly mouthed some of the lyrics and later clapped along with the boys and girls. At one point, she turned and shared a laugh with Melania Trump.

Peng is also a public welfare advocate, taking on roles that have little precedent for her position in China. She has been an official antismoking ambassador in China, and in 2011 she was appointed as the World Health Organization goodwill ambassador for tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

She has been appearing more in public recently following a period in which she was less visible on the global stage because of the COVID-19 pandemic and a cutback in diplomatic trips by her husband.

Asian art museum houses thousands of objects

The Smithsonian's Asian art museum, located along the National Mall, has been a target of the Trump administration’s attempt to eliminate what it sees as liberal ideology from the institution's museums.

The White House last year ordered a review of Smithsonian museums to make sure exhibits “celebrate American exceptionalism” and “remove divisive or partisan narratives.”

The Asian art museum features more than 46,000 objects dating from the Neolithic period to the present, according to its website. It has been part of a broader Smithsonian effort to return stolen or unethically obtained objects to their home countries. Last year, the museum returned fragments of a silk manuscript from China that dated to more than 2,000 years ago and had been looted from a tomb.

In a Fox News Channel interview on Wednesday, Melania Trump said she was taking Peng to the museum to show the “connection with the culture, with us and China.”

When Peng visited the White House in 2015, she joined first lady Michelle Obama at a naming ceremony for a giant panda at the National Zoo. The ceremony also featured songs sung by preschoolers at a local Chinese immersion school. The panda, Bei Bei, was later returned to China in 2019 to enter a breeding program.

Culture

Zawiya 97 Celebrates Saudi National Day with Craft, Artistic Experiences in Historic Jeddah

The craft workshops drew on elements of Saudi identity and heritage - SPA
The craft workshops drew on elements of Saudi identity and heritage - SPA
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Zawiya 97 Celebrates Saudi National Day with Craft, Artistic Experiences in Historic Jeddah

The craft workshops drew on elements of Saudi identity and heritage - SPA
The craft workshops drew on elements of Saudi identity and heritage - SPA

Zawiya 97 in Historic Jeddah celebrated Saudi National Day through a range of craft and artistic experiences and interactive activities inspired by local heritage and national identity, in an atmosphere combining the authenticity of the place with artisans' creativity.

The events featured short craft experiences that allowed visitors to practice a range of crafts and arts, including screen printing on fabrics, plaster engraving, drawing a map of Saudi Arabia on coffee cups, and clay shaping to make prayer beads and bracelets, SPA reported.

The activities also included live demonstrations of woodturning and plant distillation, along with experiences for assembling the "Manjour," inspired by the traditional architecture of Historic Jeddah. National musical performances and a photography corner added to the interactive atmosphere.

The craft workshops drew on elements of Saudi identity and heritage, including handmade clay construction, shaping a pottery plate inspired by the palm tree, and making a candle inspired by the Saudi coffee cup, decorated with details from local heritage.

Culture

Visual Artists Mark Saudi National Day with Vision 2030 Mural in Al-Ahsa

Visual Artists Mark Saudi National Day with Vision 2030 Mural in Al-Ahsa
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Visual Artists Mark Saudi National Day with Vision 2030 Mural in Al-Ahsa

Visual Artists Mark Saudi National Day with Vision 2030 Mural in Al-Ahsa

A local culture and arts association in Al-Ahsa Governorate created an art mural on Saudi Arabia's journey under Saudi Vision 2030, as part of Saudi National Day celebrations in Al-Ahsa Governorate.

The event included creating artworks on two obelisks the same height as the mural, with 25 artists involved, SPA reported.

The participation is part of an exhibition of a number of visual artworks, as well as live painting sessions in front of visitors, contributing to enriching the artistic scene accompanying the Saudi National Day celebrations.