Saudi Film Festival Brightens Future of Cinema in the Kingdom

 King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture's Ithra Hall, Dammam
King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture's Ithra Hall, Dammam
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Saudi Film Festival Brightens Future of Cinema in the Kingdom

 King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture's Ithra Hall, Dammam
King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture's Ithra Hall, Dammam

The 7th edition of the Saudi Film Festival has kicked off on Friday and will run until July 7. The event is managed and organized by Ahmed Al Mulla.

The Saudi Film Festival is one of two cinema-related events in the Kingdom. The other is the Red Sea International Film Festival, and it's scheduled for November. The first is dedicated to Saudi cinema and aims at developing the movie industry, and enhancing the cultural activity in the country, by sponsoring all sorts of cinema-related activities, movies, forums, and books.

The festival is set to screen a large number of works including short, small, narrative, and non-narrative films, aiming at offering "opportunities for Saudi young talents interested in movie making, and celebrating them."

The jury is composed of five members: Saudi Ali Alkalthami (head of the jury), Egyptian actress Bushra, Tunisian director Kawthar bin Haniyeh, Jordanian producer Monzer al-Rayahneh, and American critic Deborah Young.

The festival also organizes a scriptwriting contest featuring 254 participants, 14 of them already reached the finals (six long film scenarios, and eight short films scenarios). The jury of this contest is composed of Saad al-Dossari (president), and members Mohammed al-Bashir, and Raja Sayer Al-Mutairi.

The festival celebrates two cinema stars, Maamoun Hassan (who was head of production at the British Film Institute for several years), and Bahraini director Bassam al-Thawadi.

The Saudi Film Festival was launched in 2008, but its second edition was held in 2015, followed by two successive editions in 2016 and 2017, and then it returned in a sophisticated edition in 2019. Last year, the event went virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This year, the Saudi Film Festival is back with more momentum, purpose, and a team that insists on maintaining progress. It is held in the same location as the past years, at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture's Ithra Hall, Dammam. A large, beautifully designed venue surrounded by vast gardens, and housing a massive library, two screening halls, and a conference hall that could accommodate a wide audience.

The festival's manager, Ahmed Al Mulla has given special attention to the health measures imposed by the concerned authorities. In a conference he attended a few days ago, he discussed health concerns, and praised "the huge efforts the wise leadership and concerned authorities made to combat the pandemic, enabling the center to organize the event, and host a large audience with all the necessary health precautions."

This is not all. In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Al Mulla answered six questions and revealed further details about the festival and the importance of this edition for the Saudi cinema.

• When you look at the past editions and the current one, how do you see the progress? And does it meet your aspirations?

The Saudi Film Festival has faced many challenges since its launch in 2008, especially the compulsive interruption that separated its first and second editions. The festival has faced many challenges, and the pandemic was the latest but not the last one. We didn't give up, and we redesigned its programs virtually. The digital edition was an adventure, but it achieved remarkable success and reach, which enhanced the plans of the current edition. This year, we managed to organize a live event with a huge audience and keep the virtual platform to ensure that the largest number of spectators watch the festival.

Yes, we dreamed of a wide prospect, we hoped to receive a merited appreciation, and called for support…and our dreams have become true. Our biggest goal was to make a Saudi film with an artistic value that highlights the aesthetics of the country, heritage, and history. In this edition, I feel I am closer to this dream, and I see it approaching for the first time.

• The festival is growing quickly. I attended the 5th edition, and I noticed great organization and planning that I didn't see in other Arab festivals. This makes me ask: What are your ambitions for the coming editions?

My ambition is to see the festival maintain the focus on its main goal: Competition and Saudi movies. I want it to include more diverse programs that inspire movie makers. This will help the movie industry keep growing with constant leaps, similar to those we saw since its debut. I hope the festival will always be a knowledge platform that inspires art and beauty.

• How did the festival benefit moviemakers in the Kingdom so far?

Moviemakers can speak better about the benefits they gained from the festival. For me, the ultimate gain is their gathering at the same place and time in an environment where they can exchange views, and enhance connections. Then there is motivation, decent competition, and development of tools through rich programs providing workshops, forums, books, and regular discussions.

• How did the festival come to light? And who was behind the idea and its implementation?

In 2006, I was a member of the literary club in the Eastern Province and its executive manager. I was also responsible for the events it organizes. Driven by my interest in cinema, I suggested organizing a weekly cinema night, and I chose the movies that were screened during it. The idea lured a great audience of young Saudis who formed a team of movie fans (some opposed the idea). After a lot of negotiations, the club and the Culture and Arts Association in Dammam agreed to organize the first festival. Those who participated in the organization were many, but I won't say names because I don't want to forget anyone.

• Did other Arab film festivals support Saudi films? And how?

Of course, they did. Before, within, and after the Saudi Film Festival, every Saudi movie that partakes in an Arab or international contest will bring many advantages for moviemakers and colleagues. It would contribute to developing the content, encourage others, mark a presence in other festivals, and leave a beautiful trace in the audience's imagination about the Saudi movie.

• A number of Saudi movies will be screened at the Red Sea International Film Festival. How do the Saudi Movie Festival, and moviemakers benefit from this participation?

The Red Sea International Film Festival is an important platform that plays a major role in Saudi Arabia's aspirations for the future because it seeks to fulfill Arab and international ambitions and motivate Saudi movie makers to exert more effort. The festival has already launched several support and development programs, along with its upcoming edition in November. I believe the integration between the two festivals is possible and is actually happening.



‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Bites Off $318 Million at the Global Box Office

This image released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from " Jurassic World: Rebirth." (Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment via AP)
This image released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from " Jurassic World: Rebirth." (Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment via AP)
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‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Bites Off $318 Million at the Global Box Office

This image released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from " Jurassic World: Rebirth." (Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment via AP)
This image released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment shows Scarlett Johansson in a scene from " Jurassic World: Rebirth." (Jasin Boland/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment via AP)

Dinosaur fatigue may be a theme in “Jurassic World Rebirth,” but moviegoing audiences don’t seem to have that reservation. The newest installment in the “Jurassic World” franchise ruled the Fourth of July holiday box office with a global, five-day launch of $318.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Universal Pictures release, directed by Gareth Edwards, opened on Wednesday and earned $147.3 million in its first five days in 4,308 North American theaters. An estimated $91.5 million of that comes from the traditional “three day” weekend, which includes the Friday holiday, Saturday and projected Sunday ticket sales.

Internationally, it opened in 82 markets including China, adding $171 million to the opening total. According to the studio, $41.5 million of that came from China alone, where it played on 65,000 screens, 760 of which were IMAX. It's the country's biggest MPA (Motion Picture Association) opening of the year.

“Rebirth,” starring Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey, is the fourth movie in the “Jurassic World” series and the seventh since Steven Spielberg’s original Michael Crichton adaptation stormed theaters in the summer of 1993. The new film received mixed reviews from critics, carrying a 51% on Rotten Tomatoes, and B CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences, The Associated Press reported.

Factors like the holiday weekend, inflation and post-COVID moviegoing realities make it difficult to fairly compare the “Rebirth” launch to the other films in the “Jurassic World” franchise, the first of which opened to $208 million domestically in 2015. The other two, “Fallen Kingdom” and “Dominion” opened to $148 million and $145 million respectively.

“Jurassic World Rebirth” introduced a new main cast to the series and brought back a familiar voice in “Jurassic Park” screenwriter David Koepp to guide the story about a dangerous hunt for dinosaur DNA (not for making dinosaurs this time, but for curing heart disease). It cost a reported $180 million net to produce, not including marketing and promotion costs.

The campaign was far reaching, including a global press tour, with stops everywhere from London to Seoul, integrated marketing across NBC Universal platforms and brand tie-ins with everything from Jeep and 7-11 to Johansson’s skincare line.

No major new films dared go up against the dinosaurs, who left last week’s champion, the Brad Pitt racing movie “F1,” in the dust. “F1” fell a modest 54% in its second weekend with $26.1 million, helping bring its domestic total to $109.5 million. It continues to play on IMAX screens with accounted for $7.6 million of the North American weekend ticket sales. Globally, it's nearing $300 million with a running total of $293.6 million.

Third place went to Universal's live-action “How to Train Your Dragon,” which earned $11 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic total to $224 million. Disney and Pixar's “Elio” landed in fourth place with $5.7 million. Globally, “Elio” has just crossed $96 million in three weekends.