Mamdouh Salem, Saudi cultural ambassador, filmmaker and executive manager of Rawad media and production, has been appointed a member of the jury of short films and documentaries for the eight-day 6th International Muscat Film Festival starting Saturday. “In the festival more than 65 feature films will be shown in the presence of international and Arab film stars, directors and producers, and Saudi Arabia is participating with three feature films,” Salem said. Salem was instrumental in organizing the Jeddah Film Festival to show Saudi culture and traditions to the world, and he is currently working on a film dealing with the Nov. 25 Jeddah flood disaster. “Saudi Arabia will present three films at the Muscat Film Festival: “Silence” directed by Tawfiq Al-Zaidi; “Aseel” (Inherent) directed by Faisal Al-Harbi and “Beyond words” by director Hana Al-Omair. These films present different views of Saudi culture and life,” Salem explained. “Silence” is the story of Khaled, a young boy who loves to play his guitar and wants his family to listen to him. When he hears the news of his father's death, he forgets everything and becomes silent, so much so that even a small noise bothers him. “Aseel” (Inherent) is inspired by the life of the father of the director. The film shows how a father spends his life looking after the needs of his son. “Beyond Words” is the story of an Argentine tango group on their first trip to the Middle East and another music group, Dar Auniza, from the Kingdom. The two groups meet and share their music, and although they do not understand each other's language, each group has an impact on the other at the end.
