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Cultural Development Fund Concludes Participation in 10th Saudi Film Festival

The Saudi Film Festival is a prominent annual event featuring and celebrating diverse films and screenplays that have witnessed remarkable development over the years - SPA
The Saudi Film Festival is a prominent annual event featuring and celebrating diverse films and screenplays that have witnessed remarkable development over the years - SPA
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Cultural Development Fund Concludes Participation in 10th Saudi Film Festival

The Saudi Film Festival is a prominent annual event featuring and celebrating diverse films and screenplays that have witnessed remarkable development over the years - SPA
The Saudi Film Festival is a prominent annual event featuring and celebrating diverse films and screenplays that have witnessed remarkable development over the years - SPA

The Cultural Development Fund (CDF) wrapped up its participation in the 10th annual Saudi Film Festival (SFF). The fund's third consecutive sponsorship of the Saudi Film Festival has come to solidify its role as a key supporter and financial enabler to enrich and stimulate the growth of a vibrant Saudi film sector, according to a CDF news release.
According to the statement, the festival which is celebrating its 10th anniversary was organized by the Saudi Cinema Association in collaboration with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and with the support of the Film Commission. It took place from May 2nd to May 9th in Dhahran.
According to SPA, the fund's active participation in the eight-day Festival featured a pavilion within the Production Market Exhibition, welcoming guests and film enthusiasts and showcasing its financing and non-financing solutions.
Leading the conversation was the "Film Sector Financing Program," a cornerstone initiative through which the fund supports entities across the film sector. This initiative encompasses everything from film and TV content development to infrastructure, heavy equipment, filming equipment, sound, makeup, and more.
Additionally, the fund showcased its suite of non-financing solutions, including its "Consultations" and "Vouchers" services, which enable creatives to enhance their projects' readiness.
As an integral part of its participation in the Production Market, the CDF engaged in a thought-provoking dialogue session titled "Saudi Support Funds" alongside Ithra and the Red Sea Fund. Faris Alaskar, the fund's representative, took centre stage, shedding light on the comprehensive support extended by the Film Sector Financing Program to industry businesses while exploring the promising opportunities within the Kingdom's burgeoning film industry.
The Production Market's closing ceremony witnessed a tribute to the Cultural Development Fund, acknowledging its invaluable sponsorship of the festival and its pivotal role in championing and supporting the film industry.
The Saudi Film Festival is a prominent annual event featuring and celebrating diverse films and screenplays that have witnessed remarkable development over the years. In this year's edition, the film funded by CDF, "Ahlam Alasr," a cinematic creation by the talented Godus Brothers, competed in the "Feature Film" category, captivating audiences as part of the festival's film screening schedule.
The CDF was founded in 2021 to enhance the cultural landscape within Saudi Arabia further. It is organizationally linked to the National Development Fund to promote the development of a self-reliant cultural sector. The fund actively supports various cultural activities and projects, facilitates investment, and seeks to improve the domestic cultural sector's profitability in alignment with the National Culture Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030.

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Viking Ship Navigating Seafarers’ Ancient Routes Berths in Adriatic 

A full-size archaeological reconstruction of a 10th-century Viking knarr "Saga Farmann" on its years-long expedition through European rivers, channels and seas, is berthed in Port of Bar, Montenegro, July 20, 2024. (Reuters)
A full-size archaeological reconstruction of a 10th-century Viking knarr "Saga Farmann" on its years-long expedition through European rivers, channels and seas, is berthed in Port of Bar, Montenegro, July 20, 2024. (Reuters)
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Viking Ship Navigating Seafarers’ Ancient Routes Berths in Adriatic 

A full-size archaeological reconstruction of a 10th-century Viking knarr "Saga Farmann" on its years-long expedition through European rivers, channels and seas, is berthed in Port of Bar, Montenegro, July 20, 2024. (Reuters)
A full-size archaeological reconstruction of a 10th-century Viking knarr "Saga Farmann" on its years-long expedition through European rivers, channels and seas, is berthed in Port of Bar, Montenegro, July 20, 2024. (Reuters)

A replica Viking ship has berthed in Montenegro's Adriatic port of Bar on a years-long trip through European waters inspired by the Norse seafarers who set out from Scandinavia to explore, trade and conquer a millennium ago.

The ship, Saga Farmann, is a full-size archaeological reconstruction of a 10th-century Viking cargo vessel, or knarr, made from oak and pine, which was found in Norway as early as 1893 but only excavated in the 1970s.

"This is the type of ship that would travel to Iceland, or Greenland, even North America," said Linda Sten Vagnes, one of the journey's leaders.

The trip, set to end in 2026, was originally planned to follow the Norwegian coast into the White Sea off northern Russia and the Volga River, but it was rerouted to follow the rivers of Europe from West to East.

"We had to the change the route because of the war (in Ukraine)," Sten Vagnes said.

The Viking age, spanning the 8th to 11th centuries AD, saw Norsemen journey from Scandinavia aboard timber longships to stage raids, trade and settle across a wide region, including North America, using their mastery of maritime technology.

The Saga Farman's journey, which started in 2023, was inspired by the sagas about Vikings who travelled to Constantinople, capital of the-then Byzantine empire.

It took years of hard work by enthusiasts, with the support of the governments of Denmark and Norway, to make an exact copy of a knarr. The vessel was launched in 2018, said Axel Hubert Persvik, a ship builder.

"It takes a long time because most of craft we do is by hand, ... it takes many hours to build it."

At the latest leg of the trip, the 21 meters (69 ft)-long and five meters (16 ft)-wide ship sailed from the Aegean Sea into the Adriatic, said Zander Simpson, the ship's captain.

"The next stage of the trip is around Italy, Sicily ... to stay in Rome this winter, before next year's stage which will take her up the Italian coast, the French Riviera ... to Paris."

In addition to sails and oars, the Saga Farmann has four electric motors to propel it upwind and upstream. More than three tons of batteries are stored onboard where they serve for propulsion and as ballast.