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Saudi Film Commission Launches ‘Saudi Film Nights’ in Australia

The Saudi Film Commission is bringing Saudi Film Nights to the Sydney Opera House and Sofitel Melbourne on Collins on June 26-28. (SPA)
The Saudi Film Commission is bringing Saudi Film Nights to the Sydney Opera House and Sofitel Melbourne on Collins on June 26-28. (SPA)
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Saudi Film Commission Launches ‘Saudi Film Nights’ in Australia

The Saudi Film Commission is bringing Saudi Film Nights to the Sydney Opera House and Sofitel Melbourne on Collins on June 26-28. (SPA)
The Saudi Film Commission is bringing Saudi Film Nights to the Sydney Opera House and Sofitel Melbourne on Collins on June 26-28. (SPA)

The Saudi Film Commission, in partnership with Australian production company Blacksand Pictures, is bringing Saudi Film Nights to the Sydney Opera House and Sofitel Melbourne on Collins on June 26-28, the Saudi Press Agency said on Thursday.
The event is aimed at fostering collaboration between the Australian and Saudi film industries. There will be two separate screenings, each comprising two films. Audiences can enjoy "Hajjan" by director Abu Bakr Shawky, screened alongside the short film "Me & Aydarous" by director Sara Balghonaim, or watch the comedy-drama "Alhamour H.A." by director Abdulelah Alqurashi, shown with animated stop-motion short "Saleeg" from director Afnan Bawyan.
Each screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with visiting Saudi film representatives. The events will be mainly attended by local film industry professionals.
Saudi Film Nights reflects the commission’s commitment to promoting the Kingdom’s film culture and highlighting Saudi films on an international stage. "We are also fostering collaboration between international film communities, including the Australian film industry, to exchange expertise and knowledge”, said Saudi Film Commission CEO Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Qahtani.
“The selection committee, composed of Alan Finney and Jane Jeffes, has chosen some of the best Saudi productions to present in Australia”, said Kauthar Abdulalim, the founder of Blacksand Pictures.
The event reflects the Saudi Film Commission’s unwavering dedication to fostering global partnerships and leveraging cultural exchange as a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and establishing strong relationships in global cinema for the exchange of expertise and knowledge.

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SpaceX Set to Launch Mission to Return Stranded Astronauts

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 28: SpaceX Crew-9 Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov (L) (Mission Specialist) and NASA Astronaut Nick Hague (Mission Commander) wear SpaceX spacesuits as they depart from the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Control Building at Kennedy Space Center for Space Launch Complex 40 September 28, 2024 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images/AFP
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 28: SpaceX Crew-9 Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov (L) (Mission Specialist) and NASA Astronaut Nick Hague (Mission Commander) wear SpaceX spacesuits as they depart from the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Control Building at Kennedy Space Center for Space Launch Complex 40 September 28, 2024 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images/AFP
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SpaceX Set to Launch Mission to Return Stranded Astronauts

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 28: SpaceX Crew-9 Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov (L) (Mission Specialist) and NASA Astronaut Nick Hague (Mission Commander) wear SpaceX spacesuits as they depart from the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Control Building at Kennedy Space Center for Space Launch Complex 40 September 28, 2024 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images/AFP
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 28: SpaceX Crew-9 Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov (L) (Mission Specialist) and NASA Astronaut Nick Hague (Mission Commander) wear SpaceX spacesuits as they depart from the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Control Building at Kennedy Space Center for Space Launch Complex 40 September 28, 2024 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images/AFP

A SpaceX mission is set for launch Saturday with two passengers on board, leaving two seats empty to return the American astronauts who have been stranded for months on the International Space Station, NASA said.

The launch of the Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled for 1:17 pm (1717 GMT) from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

It will use a new launch pad, the pad's first use for a crewed mission, AFP reported.

On board will be NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov.

When they return from the space station in February, they will bring back the two space veterans -- Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams -- whose stay on the ISS was prolonged for months by problems with their Boeing-designed Starliner spacecraft.

The newly developed Starliner was making its first crewed flight when it delivered Wilmore and Williams to the ISS in June.

They were supposed to be there for only an eight-day stay, but after problems with the Starliner's propulsion system emerged during the flight there, NASA was forced to weigh a radical change in plans.

After weeks of intensive tests on the Starliner's reliability, the space agency finally decided to return it to Earth without its crew, and to bring the two stranded astronauts back home on the SpaceX mission Crew-9.

"We know that this launch is a bit unique in moving from the plan for crew members to two," NASA associate administrator Jim Free told reporters.

"I do want to thank SpaceX for their support and flexibility."

SpaceX, the private company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, has been flying regular missions every six months to allow the rotation of ISS crews.

But the launch of Crew-9 was delayed from mid-August to late September to give NASA experts more time to evaluate the reliability of the Starliner and decide how to proceed.

It was then delayed a few more days by the destructive passage of Hurricane Helene, a powerful storm that roared into the opposite coast of Florida on Thursday.

SpaceX's Dragon vessel is set to dock with the ISS on Sunday around 2130 GMT.

After a period to allow a handover of duties, the four members of Crew-8 will return to Earth on another SpaceX craft.

In total, Hague and Gorbunov will spend some five months on the ISS; Wilmore and Williams, eight months.

In all, Crew-9 will conduct some 200 scientific experiments.