Tours of the Film Criticism Forum, organized by the Film Authority, continue in 4 other cities. After Jeddah, it will head to Dhahran in partnership with the Saudi Film Festival under the slogan “National Cinema.” Under the slogan "Spirituality in Cinema", with the participation of a group of critics, academics and filmmakers, the forum will move in its first edition between 5 major cities throughout the year, before landing in the city of Riyadh, which will witness the establishment of the Film Criticism Conference, before heading to Abha under the The slogan "Scenery and Natural Space in Films" then moves to Tabuk under the slogan "Technology and the Experience of Watching a Film", until it lands in Buraydah under the slogan "Immigration, Travel and Movement in the Cinema", before concluding its tours by holding a Film Criticism Conference in Riyadh during the period From November 10-12, under the slogan “Film and Art in a Changing World.”
The CEO of the Film Authority, Engineer Abdullah Al Ayyaf, confirmed that the Film Criticism Forum; which was concluded in Jeddah over the course of two days, it sought to stimulate the critical movement in the Saudi cinematic scene; To enrich the experience of filmmakers by transferring and exchanging experiences, global experiences and critical reviews in the world of cinema, to form an artistic platform that enriches dialogue spaces between filmmakers and critics, noting the qualitative leap and the great artistic movement that the Kingdom is witnessing in the field of filmmaking, in light of the tremendous support that the commission enjoys. From the wise leadership – may God protect it – that seeks to develop the sector and encourage technical talents; To establish the Kingdom's position as an influential center in film production and industry.
The forum, which was held from March 28-29, witnessed various discussions on a range of issues related to spirituality in cinema. As one of the most influential languages of contemporary art, and one of the artistic activities associated with the cultures of peoples, the participants dealt with the various spiritual manifestations in the cinematic narrative of its documentary, fictional and experimental types, through a number of research papers, seminars and dialogues, and this was accompanied by cinematic screenings that lasted for five consecutive days.
Film critics and academics from inside and outside the Kingdom participated in the forum, including the well-known American director and screenwriter Paul Schrader, Professor of Cinema and Digital Media at Baylor University in New York Joseph Kikasola, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature at Cornell University and social researcher specializing in gender and race Naminata Diabate, and Assistant Professor of Film Studies. At the University of Coimera in Portugal, Sergo Dias Branco, Lecturer in World Cinema at the University of East Anglia Syed Ali Haidar, Creative artist and interdisciplinary researcher Ruba Al-Suwaiyel, Actor, filmmaker and content creator Baraa Alem, Cultural writer and editor in film criticism Maha Sultan.
Okaz (Jeddah) @OKAZ_online