IT was certainly a night for the Mediterranean at the third European Film Festival in Jeddah that kicked off earlier this month and ended on Wednesday after an exciting three week run. Organized collectively by the European consulates in Jeddah, the festival featured a range of acclaimed films from the participating countries. Amongst them was the Italian film “Mediterraneo” (1991) a bitter-sweet comedy showcased last Thursday in Jeddah by the Italian Club. “This is the best of Italian films, and we are very proud to show it, as it is based on personal stories and will surely conquer the audience,” said Adriano Santacesaria, the Consul General of Italy in his opening remarks on the evening of the screening. The film certainly needs no introduction. As the winner of 1992's Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, winner of Best Picture, Best Editing and Best Sound at the David di Donatello Awards in 1991 and the winner of Best Narrative Feature at the Palm Spring Festival in 1992, the film's credentials speak for themselves. Directed by Gabriele Salvatores, this 90-minute drama is about a group of Italian soldiers who land on a Greek island during the Second World War. Initially, they assume that the island is deserted but after some days people start appearing and to their astonishment, accept them peacefully. Forgetting all about the ongoing war, the soldiers continue to live happily on the beautiful and peaceful island. More than three years later, a British ship reaches the island to collect the soldiers and return them to their homeland. This conjures mixed emotions in them all; should they obey their country's orders or their hearts? As their thoughts of war wane, these men start to explore the real meaning of life. “This is a great opportunity for me to learn about Italian culture, meet lots of different people from various parts of the world and come to know about their cultures,” remarked Fatima Mazha, a Lebanese expatriate who is a coordinator at the British Council in Jeddah. “We are not used to these types of cultural activities, even though it brings people closer to each other.” The Greek Consul of Economic and Commercial affairs, Dimitrios D. Michas, was also present during the screening, and he offered warm praise for the film. “We can say that this Italian film has a touch of Greece, and we are very glad that Italy and Greece have had such a long and mutual, cultural relationship,” he remarked. Indeed, there are striking similarities between “Mediterraneo” and the Greek film “Peppermint” which was screened last Wednesday as part of the film festival. They both offer deep, philosophical insights into life and depend on historical settings to relay those insights. “Peppermint” was produced in 1999 and was nominated in the Best Foreign Film category at the Academy Awards in 2000. Set in the 1960s, it is a story about middle-class families, with the term ‘peppermint' symbolizing the middle class. “This year, we have presented a very sensitive film - a social comedy-drama – that is directed by Capatash and deals with life from a very young age to the very last stage of life,” explained Consul Michas. “It goes through generations and deals with family values and in particular those children who grew up during the 1950s and 1960s.” The audience seemed appreciative of the screenings and particularly happy with the fact that such events were being organized on such a large-scale. “It is nice to have such film festivals here in Jeddah because we don't have many such activities here, but now there are a lot of efforts being made on a governmental level for the promotion of cultural exchange,” commented Diana Ryan, who works as an advisor at the British consulate in Jeddah. With the ongoing European Film Festival in Riyadh and upcoming Jeddah Film Festival in the summer, there is certainly going to be many more opportunities for cinema lovers to indulge in some serious film
