President of Italian Cultural Center Amilio Dinisciacci with Saudi filmmaker Mamdouh Saleh. The opening of the European Film Festival at the Italian Cultural Center in Jeddah Wednesday saw a considerable turnout from the European diplomatic corps as well as consuls from Arab nations. Simone Petroni, the Italian Consul General in Jeddah, opened proceedings with a speech in which he expressed his delight at the enthusiasm for the event, which he said served to “confirm the value given to cinema in people's social and political lives”. The festival, open until April 20, features works from nine countries including the Kingdom. “This is the fifth year of the annual event,” Petroni said. “Like other occasions of a similar nature, it gives the European communities in the Kingdom a change of scene, and it also promotes cultures and brings them together from around the world, helping in fostering relations and cohesion. It's also a great opportunity to get in touch with the Saudi public in Jeddah.” The Saudi presence at the opening night was admittedly scarce, consisting mostly of Saudi women born to European mothers or women married to foreigners. Journalist Maryam Musalli, however, enjoyed the inaugural evening and said she hoped that the festival and others like it would encourage the opening of public cinemas in Saudi Arabia to show “films for families so they can enjoy what is an entertaining form of cultural wealth”. Attendees Wednesday were treated to the festival's opening movie, Romanzo Criminale, the story of three friends who assume control of organized crime in Rome. Unfortunately the lack of Arabic subtitles to the Italian script led to some members of the audience slipping out early. The other eight films to be shown over the festival come from Spain, UK, Germany, Turkey, Switzerland, France, and Ireland, with the Kingdom represented on Wednesday by Mamdouh Salim's documentary “Jeddah: A Forum for Civilizations and Cultures”. Showings take place on the Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays of the festival fortnight, but attendance is by invitation only.
