To support Saudi talents, “Ithraa” participates in the Cannes Film Festival with new films
Ashraf AboArafe
The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithraa) is participating in the 75th Cannes Film Festival, currently being held, as it is the largest producer of cinematic films in the Kingdom, showing two new films produced by Ithraa, in an effort to show national cinematic talents in this global event.
Ithraa’s participation comes within the Saudi pavilion at the festival, which is supervised by the Film Authority, along with a number of government and private agencies, such as: the Ministry of Investment, the Red Sea Film Festival, Al-Ula Film, NEOM, MBC Group, a group of production and distribution companies and a group of talents promising Saudi Arabia.
The Director of Theater and Performing Arts at Ithraa, Majed Zuhair Samman, explained that the center’s second official participation in the Cannes Film Festival; Ithraa reflects the role of the actor in the growing film industry in the Kingdom, and promotes the creation of pioneering cinematic content, noting that Ithraa currently has three cinematic projects on the verge of completion, in addition to continuing to support the Saudi film industry through financing and production initiatives, and presenting the local experience to the world through the most important international forums. .
He indicated that the Ithraa Center is working to nurture national talents and refine cinematic experiences, given that it is a leading independent producer in the Kingdom. The two films will be shown in the short films corner, which is one of the most important distribution platforms for short films at the festival, and they are an “old phone number” for the director and writer. Filmmaker Ali Saeed, and “The Swing” by director Raneem Al Mohandes.Ithraa will also participate in a discussion session on developing Saudi talents, with NEOM and MBC Academy.
Ithraa is also working on the production of two fiction films, the first “Sea of the Sands” by Egyptian screenwriter and producer Mohamed Hefzy and directed by Abu Bakr Shawqi, and the second “The Valley Road” by Saudi director Khaled Fahd. The two films are scheduled to be released next year 2023, and is preparing to host the eighth Saudi Film Festival, which It was organized by the Cinema Society, in partnership with Ithraa, and with the support of the Film Commission of the Ministry of Culture, from June 2 to 9, 2002.
It is worth noting that the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithraa) has produced 20 Saudi films, 15 of which won local and international awards, and a group of them were shown in several international forums, with the support of the Film Authority of the Ministry of Culture, which stands by Ithraa in the work. To provide opportunities for filmmakers to advance the Saudi film industry, as an important part of the center’s mission, which is keen to enrich cultural and creative content and enhance cinematic mobility in the Kingdom.
