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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

Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum Says Discovers New Rembrandt

Poeple look at Rembrandt's famed Night Watch, which is back on display in what researchers say in its original size, with missing parts temporarily restored in an exhibition aided by artificial intelligence, at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands June 23, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
Poeple look at Rembrandt's famed Night Watch, which is back on display in what researchers say in its original size, with missing parts temporarily restored in an exhibition aided by artificial intelligence, at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands June 23, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
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Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum Says Discovers New Rembrandt

Poeple look at Rembrandt's famed Night Watch, which is back on display in what researchers say in its original size, with missing parts temporarily restored in an exhibition aided by artificial intelligence, at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands June 23, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
Poeple look at Rembrandt's famed Night Watch, which is back on display in what researchers say in its original size, with missing parts temporarily restored in an exhibition aided by artificial intelligence, at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands June 23, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam said Monday it had uncovered a new painting by Rembrandt, using advanced scanning technology and stylistic analysis to confirm it was crafted by the Dutch master.

The whereabouts of the 1633 work, entitled "Vision of Zacharias in the Temple" was unknown for 65 years but was recently handed over to the museum for testing.

"Materials analysis, stylistic and thematic similarities, alterations made by Rembrandt, and the overall quality of the painting all support the conclusion that this painting is a genuine work by Rembrandt van Rijn," the museum said in a statement.

Culture

UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace in Tehran Damaged in Strikes

Plumes of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo)
Plumes of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo)
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UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace in Tehran Damaged in Strikes

Plumes of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo)
Plumes of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo)

Iran's UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace in Tehran has been damaged in US and Israeli strikes, local media reported Monday.

"Following the joint US-Israeli attack on Arag square in southern Tehran on Sunday evening, parts of the Golestan Palace... were damaged," the ISNA news agency reported, adding that windows, doors, and mirrors were hit by reverberations from blasts.

Iran's Mehr news agency carried a similar report.

Culture

Before Dawn, Ancient Drum Rite Wakes Istanbul Faithful to Fast

Turkish drummer Hakan Ozbingol plays drum and sings traditional songs in the streets of Istanbul, to wake Muslims up for the suhour, the Ramadan meal eaten at night, on February 24, 2026. (AFP)
Turkish drummer Hakan Ozbingol plays drum and sings traditional songs in the streets of Istanbul, to wake Muslims up for the suhour, the Ramadan meal eaten at night, on February 24, 2026. (AFP)
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Before Dawn, Ancient Drum Rite Wakes Istanbul Faithful to Fast

Turkish drummer Hakan Ozbingol plays drum and sings traditional songs in the streets of Istanbul, to wake Muslims up for the suhour, the Ramadan meal eaten at night, on February 24, 2026. (AFP)
Turkish drummer Hakan Ozbingol plays drum and sings traditional songs in the streets of Istanbul, to wake Muslims up for the suhour, the Ramadan meal eaten at night, on February 24, 2026. (AFP)

It's 3:30 am and lights are slowly coming on in the homes lining a narrow Istanbul street as people are woken up by the rhythmic thump of a drum.

Emerging onto a balcony, Sibel Savas and her grandson look down as the drummer -- or davulcu in Turkish -- wanders through the Ayvansaray neighborhood, his drumbeat waking the faithful for a last meal before the daily Ramadan fast begins at sunrise.

For the past 55 years, Hakan Ozbingol has got up at 3:00 am every day during Ramadan to play his davul, a large double-headed drum carried with a strap and played while walking through the streets.

He inherited the role from his father, with whom he started venturing out when he was 10.

Although their nightly sortie is purely voluntary, local residents traditionally give a tip at the end of the month, says Ozbingol, who is now 65.

If once this amounted to enough to buy the children a nice gift, these days it's barely enough "to buy them clothes or to cover the bills", he sighs, as people struggle to cope with Türkiye's bitter economic crisis.

But for him, it's not a job but more of a sacred duty.

"As long as it's to do with Allah, this drum will never fall silent. We're doing Allah's work, it's our duty," he said hoarsely, trudging with bent back through the winding streets.

- Ottoman roots -

According to Harun Korkmaz, a music historian at Istanbul University, the Ramadan drum rite "dates back to the end of the 19th century" when the Ottoman military bands, or mehters, performed several times a day, setting the pace of daily life.

"The davulcu are continuing this tradition," he told AFP of a tradition that began in Istanbul and spread to the rest of the country.

As well as drumming, "real" davulcu will also chant "mani", or short rhythmic poems, under people's windows to flatter a sleepy audience, Ozbingol explained.

"In Türkiye, there are few davulcus who know how to sing mani. It's not enough to pick up the drum and bang on it while walking around," he said, proudly tapping his temple to show where he keeps this knowledge.

The tradition began in the Fatih district near Istanbul's historic peninsula, and most of today's Ramadan drummers come from Türkiye's Roma community, who today number around 2.7 million, research figures show.

As the davulcu walks the street where washing lines vie for space with Turkish flags draped from the high facades of the buildings, he is warmly greeted by a pensioner called Zafer, who is also a musician.

"If the Roma weren't here there would be nothing. They are the musicians and Istanbul's Ramadan drummers," the 71-year-old told AFP.

- 'A tradition that must not die' -

Still holding her grandson, Sibal Savas says she has no alarm clock and relies on the early-morning drum rite to wake her up.

"This tradition is important to us this. It comes from our ancestors," she told AFP.

In a nearby street, another drummer, 58-year-old Yurdaer, is trying to play a little more quietly as he passes the home of an elderly neighbor who has heart problems.

Across Istanbul, Türkiye's largest city, there are a total of 3,000 davulcu who go out nightly to wake the faithful in 961 neighborhoods, explains Selami Aykut, who heads an organization representing the megacity's local mayors.

Since the pandemic, when the nightly rite was briefly halted, the authorities doubled the number of accredited drummers.

"We have increased the number we work with in order to better pass on our Ottoman traditions to young people, so that they can feel the excitement of Ramadan," Aykut told AFP.

With street vendors hawking traditional foods increasingly scarce across the city's streets, their services replaced by supermarkets, the davulcu is one rare tradition not at risk of disappearing due to his unique role at Ramadan.

"There are no more people selling boza (a fermented cereal-based drink), no more yoghurt sellers, nor other street vendors -- they've almost all disappeared," said Ozbingol.

"Only the davulcu are left," he murmurs, wandering off up the street.