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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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Varieties

First Radioactive Rhino Horns to Curb Poaching in South Africa

A sedated rhinoceros lies unconscious as professor James Larkin (R) from the University of the Witwatersrand's Radiation and Health Physics Unit (RHPU) uses a can of identification spray (DataDot) after carefully implanting dosed and calculated radioisotopes into its horns along with other Rhisotope Project members at an undisclosed location in the Waterbury UNESCO biosphere in Mokopane on June 25, 2024. (Photo by EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP)
A sedated rhinoceros lies unconscious as professor James Larkin (R) from the University of the Witwatersrand's Radiation and Health Physics Unit (RHPU) uses a can of identification spray (DataDot) after carefully implanting dosed and calculated radioisotopes into its horns along with other Rhisotope Project members at an undisclosed location in the Waterbury UNESCO biosphere in Mokopane on June 25, 2024. (Photo by EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP)
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First Radioactive Rhino Horns to Curb Poaching in South Africa

A sedated rhinoceros lies unconscious as professor James Larkin (R) from the University of the Witwatersrand's Radiation and Health Physics Unit (RHPU) uses a can of identification spray (DataDot) after carefully implanting dosed and calculated radioisotopes into its horns along with other Rhisotope Project members at an undisclosed location in the Waterbury UNESCO biosphere in Mokopane on June 25, 2024. (Photo by EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP)
A sedated rhinoceros lies unconscious as professor James Larkin (R) from the University of the Witwatersrand's Radiation and Health Physics Unit (RHPU) uses a can of identification spray (DataDot) after carefully implanting dosed and calculated radioisotopes into its horns along with other Rhisotope Project members at an undisclosed location in the Waterbury UNESCO biosphere in Mokopane on June 25, 2024. (Photo by EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP)

South African scientists on Tuesday injected radioactive material into live rhino horns to make them easier to detect at border posts in a pioneering project aimed at curbing poaching.

The country is home to a large majority of the world's rhinos and as such is a hotspot for poaching driven by demand from Asia, where horns are used in traditional medicine for their supposed therapeutic effect.

At the Limpopo rhino orphanage in the Waterberg area, in the country's northeast, a few of the thick-skinned herbivores grazed in the low savannah.

James Larkin, director of the University of the Witwatersrand's radiation and health physics unit who spearheaded the initiative, told AFP he had put "two tiny little radioactive chips in the horn" as he administered the radioisotopes on one of the large animals' horns.

The radioactive material would "render the horn useless... essentially poisonous for human consumption" added Nithaya Chetty, professor and dean of science at the same university.

The dusty rhino, put to sleep and crouched on the ground, did not feel any pain, Larkin said.

The radioactive material's dose was so low it would not impact the animal's health or the environment in any way, he said.

In February the environment ministry said that, despite government efforts to tackle the illicit trade, 499 of the giant mammals were killed in 2023, mostly in state-run parks. This represents an 11 percent increase over the 2022 figures.

Twenty live rhinos in total would be part of the pilot Rhisotope project whereby they would be administered a dose "strong enough to set off detectors that are installed globally" at international border posts originally installed "to prevent nuclear terrorism", a pleased Larkin said, sporting a green hat and a khaki shirt.

Border agents often have handheld radiation detectors which can detect contraband in addition to thousands of radiation detectors installed at ports and airports, the scientists said.