Dammam film festival wows art enthusiasts

The Saudi Film Festival has brought together acclaimed critics, writers and artists from the region to discuss screenwriting, film making and directing techniques.
Bahraini critic and author, Mohammed Haddad presented a workshop on film soundtrack and its importance in building drama in movies, while UAE scenarist Mohammed Hassan Ahmed discussed the art of screenwriting and its role in shaping narrative techniques within the film. Syrian critic Malek Najar hosted a course on visual language and directorial rules for movies.
Many Saudi prominent art figures, like the novelist Mohammed Al-Bashir, expressed great pleasure to see the large number of participants at film festivals over the past seven years. Talking to local media, Al-Bashir pointed out his satisfaction with the films screened during the festival. According to the writer, all of the films were promising, with some deserving recognition, and others some additional guidance and direction. He also praised Effat University for creating an academic department that will contribute to achieve a developed and promising film industry in the future.
But despite the growing efforts to accommodate Saudi and Gulf filmmakers, Ali Al-Hussein, one of the youngest directors taking part in the festival, believed there is still plenty of room for improvement. According to the young filmmaker, more film academies are needed to train and educate those interested in the industry.
Among the 19 films films featured so far are “Half Chicken,” directed by Abdullah Ahmed, who plays the role of Charlie Chaplin while presenting a day in his life. Another movie that captivated the audience was “Mariam,” directed by Abdullah Hamad Al-Zaid, that portrays a couple attempting to resolve their marital problems, while “Rain Play,” by Yasser Ali, revolves around the lives and feelings of people after heavy rainfall.
The festival saw screenings of several notable movies, such as the award-winning documentary “Big Marriages,” directed by Faisal Al-Otaibi, and “Bus 321,” a participant of the recent Dubai International Film Festival.
Other interesting films include those by director Shahd Amin, which tells the story of a 10-year-old child living in a fishing village on the coast of the Arabian Peninsula, as well as Osama Saleh’s film about a young Muslim man in America and his struggles between love and religion.