The 3rd Asian Film Festival - 2010, which opened on Wednesday and will run until Mar. 1, aims to use film to highlight the “differences amongst us in culture, lifestyle and religion”, underlining our need “to unite and respect each other's culture”, said Japanese Consul General Toshimitsu Ishigure in his welcome address to a gathering of members of the diplomatic corps, local officials, businessmen and other invited guests. The 13-day invitation-only festival which is organized by the Asian Consuls General Club (ACGC), comprised of the consuls general of 13 Asian countries, will screen specially chosen films from each country along with Saudi films at three different venues: the Japanese Consulate, and the Consulates General of Sri Lanka and Brunei. Japanese Consul General Ishigure in his remarks inaugurating the festival expressed his appreciation for the continuous support of Ambassador Muhammad Ahmed Tayeb, director general at the office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Makkah region. Ishigure also thanked Mamdouh Salem, executive manager of Rowad Media, for arranging for the screening of Saudi documentary and feature films, and Fowzan Mulla of ATEICO Communications for taking charge of festival arrangements. In expressing the aim of the festival, Ishigure said that “movies are a very effective means of introducing and understanding the culture and lifestyle of people of any country. Hence, the purpose of this event is to highlight different peoples, different cultures, different heritages and to enhance mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence between people of different civilizations”. The feature films and documentaries of member countries and Saudi Arabia have been chosen, he said, as a way to learn about the richness of each other's culture and heritage, which is what makes the annual festival an important event. The Japanese film chosen to inaugurate the festival, “Always Sunset on Third Street Part 2” was, Ishigure said, a film about the importance of the family. “My message to the people who have come to watch this film is that Japan is a country of normal and ordinary people who live normal lives with family love. The film tell us that although life is becoming very modernized and time is moving very fast, we must not forget to care for our families. This is the message behind the film tonight,” he explained. Commenting on why the festival is not open to the general public, Consul General Ishigure noted that the seating capacity was limited and that there were also “cultural circumstances” preventing a public screening of the films. “We cannot invite everybody, but through the media we want to send the message to the general public about our intentions and the main purpose of the film festival which is to highlight the culture and heritage of different nations,” he said. “I hope in future if circumstances allow, if everybody wishes it and if we have support and coordination from the Saudi government, that this festival can be done on a larger scale,” he added. The consuls general of other Asian countries told Saudi Gazette why they had chosen particular films to represent their nations. The Consulate General of India has chosen the famous Indian film “Om Shanti Om”, which will be screened on Friday night. The film stars Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone and Indian Consul General Sayeed Ahmed Baba, said, “Many expatriates and Saudis are very fond of Shahrukh Khan, which is one reason we chose the film for the festival. Our objective is to show the power of Indian Bollywood films to the outside world. Bollywood is mainly known for its love songs, dances, dreams and beautiful settings. “Om Shanti Om” is a perfect example of Bollywood at its best.” The award-winning Pakistani film “Ramchand Pakistani” will be screened on Feb. 22. The film is based on a true story concerning the accidental crossing of the Pakistan-India border in June 2000. “Through this film we want to give a message to Pakistani nationals who are living abroad and to our international audience about the development of Pakistani cinema and what kind of films Pakistan is making at the moment,” said acting Pakistan Consul General Dr. Mohammed Faisal. A Sri Lankan documentary “North-South Train in Sri Lanka” will be screened on Feb. 23. “The documentary is based on a new railway linking the north and the south in Sri Lanka, as after the liberation from terrorism we intend to develop a railway link called Yaldaive between the two parts of the country,” explained Sri Lankan Consul General A. Sabarullah Khan “The main message behind the film is how we will achieve our target of having railway lines in Sri Lanka, and the tradition of Sri Lankan cultural art which has existed since pre-historic times,” he said. Also on Feb. 23, a number of short Saudi films will be screened. “Saudi Arabian cinema has an important role to play in providing information about Saudi culture and tradition, said Mamdouh Salem, filmmaker and director of Rawad Media and director of the Jeddah Film Festival. “The Asian Film Festival is a chance to understand and see the culture and tradition of our Asian friends and their countries,” he added. The Bangladesh consulate has chosen the feature film “Amar Ache Jol” (Tears in my Eyes) which will be screened on Feb. 24. “We chose this film because we want to tell the world that Bangladesh is a Muslim country, but a liberal and democratic one. It is not a very serious film so we hope the viewers will enjoy it,” said Ghulam Sarwar, the Bangladesh Consul General. On Feb. 25 the Singapore Consulate will present the feature film “Kallang Roar the Movie”, a film based on a true story of a passionate football coach who wants to do something for his country. Mohammed Zain, Consul General of Singapore, said, “The feature film we chose is based on a true story about a determined soccer coach with deep passion, who after an unyielding struggle with society and himself is finally able to achieve glory for his nation through football.” The Indonesian feature film “ Laskar Pelang” (The Rainbow Troops), which will be shown on Feb. 26, contains a message about the importance of education. “The film is based on the education system in Indonesia, especially concerning marginalized citizens trying to achieve their dreams. There is a message in this film for the government to pay attention to private schools in the country and help them get set up,” said Cahyomo Rustam, the Indonesian consul for information and culture.
