Saudi Film Commission Participates in 2024 Toronto International Film Festivalhttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5058448-saudi-film-commission-participates-2024-toronto-international-film-festival
Saudi Film Commission Participates in 2024 Toronto International Film Festival
The Saudi Film Commission logo
The Saudi Film Commission is participating in the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), held from September 5 to 15.
TIFF is one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals, drawing filmmakers, critics, and audiences globally and serving as a premier platform for showcasing global cinema.
This year, the commission will feature a dedicated pavilion highlighting prominent Saudi film projects and initiatives, providing visitors with a unique experience to explore the Kingdom's vast history and vibrant creativity in the film industry.
In addition, a delegation from the commission, along with a group of Saudi filmmakers, will be attending to represent the diverse talents and voices of the Saudi film community.
The pavilion embodies the commission’s commitment to advancing the film industry in Saudi Arabia, showcasing recent achievements and highlighting opportunities for international collaboration and partnerships. It aims to attract global interest in Saudi stories and productions while strengthening connections with filmmakers from around the world.
The Saudi Film Commission's participation in the Toronto International Film Festival aligns with its strategy to elevate Saudi cinema on the global stage, support Saudi talent, and contribute to the growth of the global film industry.
Iraqi Date Farmers Fight Drought to Protect National Treasure https://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5058208-iraqi-date-farmers-fight-drought-protect-national-treasure%C2%A0
An Iraqi farmer loads a vehicle with crates of freshly-picked dates during harvest season in a field in Janajah village in Iraq's Al-Qasim district south of Babylon on September 4, 2024. (AFP)
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Iraqi Date Farmers Fight Drought to Protect National Treasure
An Iraqi farmer loads a vehicle with crates of freshly-picked dates during harvest season in a field in Janajah village in Iraq's Al-Qasim district south of Babylon on September 4, 2024. (AFP)
Bare feet pressed against the rough trunk of a palm tree, his back supported by a metal and fabric harness, Ali Abed begins the climb to the dates above.
In Iraq, the date palm and its bounty are national icons, but they are being battered by drought.
Once known as the country of "30 million palm trees", Iraq's ancient date-growing culture had already suffered from upheaval, especially during the 1980-88 war with Iran, before climate change became a major threat.
In the still lush countryside of central Iraq, near Janajah village in Babylon province, hundreds of date palms stand tall and majestic, surrounded by vines and fruit trees.
During harvest season, the branches are heavy with clusters of yellow and red dates.
Iraqi farmers pick dates from a palm tree during harvest season in a field in Janajah village in Iraq's Al-Qasim district south of Babylon on September 4, 2024. (AFP)
Rising at dawn to avoid the searing heat, harvesters climb the palms using only their upper body strength, aided by a harness and rope wrapped around the trunk.
"Last year, the orchards and the palm groves were thirsty; we almost lost them. This year, thanks to God, we had good water and a good harvest," said Abed, a 36-year-old farmer from Biramana, a village a few kilometers (miles) from Janajah.
Once at the top, they pick the ripe dates, filling baskets that are lowered to the ground and emptied into basins, which are then loaded onto lorries.
Abed noted, however, that the harvest is much smaller now -- about half of what it used to be. He once collected more than 12 tons but now brings in just four or five.
Abed criticized the lack of government support, saying aerial insecticide campaigns are not enough.
- 'Used to be paradise' -
Iraq has spent over a decade trying to revive the date palm, a vital economic asset and national symbol.
Authorities and religious institutions have launched programs and mega-projects to encourage tree planting and growth.
An agriculture ministry spokesperson told the official INA news agency last month that, "for the first time since the 1980s", the number of date palms had risen to "more than 22 million", up from a low of just eight million.
During the Iran-Iraq War, palm groves were razed in vast areas along the border to prevent enemy infiltration.
Today, dates are Iraq's second-largest export product after oil, which dominates export revenues and generates more than $120 million, according to the World Bank.
In 2023, Iraq exported around 650,000 tons of dates, official statistics show.
Yet around Janajah, many palm trees lie dead and decapitated.
"All these palm trees are dead due to the drought; the whole region is suffering", said 56-year-old farmer Maitham Talib.
"Before, we had water. People irrigated abundantly. Now, we need complicated machinery", he said, observing the harvest.
The United Nations has labelled Iraq one of the five countries in the world most vulnerable to some of the effects of climate change.
The country has endured four consecutive years of drought, though this year saw some relief with winter rainfall.
Alongside rising temperatures that have hit 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) in summer and declining rainfall, Iraq also faces falling river levels, blamed on dams built upstream by Iran and Türkiye.
Kifah Talib, 42, lamented the slow devastation wrought by the drought.
"It used to be paradise: apple, pomegranate, citrus trees and vines -- everything grew here", he said.
