The Saudi Film Festival, held for the first time in Eastern Province, ended at the weekend and producers in three categories - best short film, best documentary, and best movie script - were awarded prizes. The entries to the three categories, all produced by Saudis, were well-received and gained accolade and praise from local and international media. "In our situation where conservatism still dominates our society, the showcasing of the festival helped break the skepticism about visual media - movies - indicating a bright future for such arts to thrive," said Ahmed Al-Mulla, chairman of the festival and head of the organizing committee. The five-day festival was held in Dammam Sheraton Hotel and at Dammam Art and Literary Club Complex. "Many Saudis, both male and female, attended and viewed the movies and documentaries and had the chance to discuss with filmmakers, directors, and script writers. The turnout of people was far more than expected," Al-Mulla told the Saudi Gazette. "Thousands of people came to see the movies. This outpouring of public interest is our inspiration for our future projects," he said. "We have given lot of publicity to this film festival via Internet, news media and television channels. We got the support of Minister of Culture and Information Iyad Ameen Madani who came to inaugurate the event and due to this support from the government the festival went on very smoothly. In the beginning we were a bit doubtful about the public response, but the huge number of people who came to see the movies boosted our confidence and we are now seriously thinking about conducting more competitions and festivals in the near future," Al-Mulla said. Mulla said the outcome of the festival revealed that there are many Saudis who have talents in movie production, script writing and documentary filming. "There are many Saudi directors, scriptwriters and other talents from both side of the Saudi genders. Because of circumstances in Saudi Arabia, these filmmakers release their movies outside the Kingdom, to international audience. Good talent is either wasted or going out of the country and this talent drain can be blocked only if they have good opportunities here," he said. Reactions to the first movie festival were all positive. "I came here to see for myself the talents of the Saudi youth and to experience cinema at large. I believe that film industry must be seen as a tool for communication, just as television, Internet and other media" said Kumail Al-Herz from the King Fahd University in Dammam. "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia needs colleges and schools for teaching and editing the films. The young, talented generation of Saudis will benefit from these, Ahmed, an expatriate, said. Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, a member of the film competition committee said the contest was an electrifying experience. "I got to know more about Saudi films and filmmakers. I feel proud to know that there is a lot of talent in the Kingdom and the government is encouraging and promoting these trends." The Golden Palm Award was presented to veteran Saudi director, Abdullah Al-Mohaisen. "This is an evening no one could have imagined before. I've been to numerous festivals since 1976, but there is nothing more charming and sincere than being honored in one's own environment and society," he said. The first Saudi actor, Dr. Hassan Al-Ghanim, was also honored. He was the lead actor in "Enemy of Humanity" made in the 1950s for Saudi Aramco. The movie was again screened on the final day of the festival. "I was amazed to see the creative talent of Saudi youth who participated in this competition. Lot of things are there to be done to upgrade the ability of our new generation. Hopefully, more events will take place in future and this can be used as a good platform for polishing and showcasing good Saudi cinema," said Dr. Mubarak Rashid Al-Khaldi, Vice President of Eastern Province Literary Club and one of the jury members. Although female film productions were not present during the festival due to technical reasons, the organizers said that next competition will showcase movies made by Saudi female directors, scriptwriters, and actors as well. However, a large number of female movie enthusiasts attended the festival. __
