DAMMAM: The fourth edition of the Saudi Film Festival begins Monday evening in Dhahran.
The Culture and Arts Association in Dammam, in association with King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, has organized the event.
The festival, extending over six days, includes the participation of 58 Saudi films, according to SPA.
The festival will also show a promotional film showcasing the participating films in this edition as well as exhibiting a documentary film on the festival’s third edition. It will also honor artists participating in the film industry in the Kingdom.
The festival will also have competitions in the fields of narrative films, documentaries, student films, scenario competitions as well as holding workshops in the management and financing of the cultural production.
Another workshop will give the basics of 3-D as well as a workshop in the issue of cinematography, in theory and practice as well as the improvisation in front of camera. The workshop will also focus on story structure and character development.
The Culture and Arts Association in Dammam said in a statement that the festival aims to raise the standards of quality and technical arrangements in order to elevate the supporting content of the festival’s competitions.
The association stressed that the festival is considered one of the programs of the national initiative to support the Saudi film industry and activate the cultural movement in the Kingdom. The initiative supports young men and women interested in production and providing a creative environment to exchange ideas.
4th Saudi Film Festival to focus on strengthening nascent industry
4th Saudi Film Festival to focus on strengthening nascent industry
Saudi Arabia denounces Israeli far-right minister’s incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque
- Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit and prayer at Al-Aqsa provoked ‘the feelings of Muslims worldwide’
- The Kingdom also condemns the advance by Israeli occupation forces in southern Syria
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the visit by the Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem.
The ministry said that the national security minister’s visit and prayer at the Al-Aqsa compound on Thursday morning was a clear violation and provocation of the feelings of Muslims worldwide.
Ben-Gvir has repeatedly contested the Israeli government’s longstanding ban on Jewish prayer at the Al-Aqsa compound, which has been a focal point of tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Al-Aqsa compound in the Old City of Jerusalem is Islam’s holiest site after the mosques in Makkah and Madinah and is a symbol of Palestinian national identity.
The Saudi ministry on Thursday also condemned the Israeli occupation forces’ advance in southern Syria after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in early December.
“The continuation of (Israeli) military operations in Syria is an attempt to sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security and stability,” the ministry said in a statement.
Saudi foreign minister takes part in GCC extraordinary meeting in Kuwait
- GCC officials reject foreign interference in Syrian affairs, call for lifting of Western sanctions
- Meeting affirms GCC’s support for Palestinian people and demands ceasefire in Gaza
RIYADH: Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan took part in the 46th extraordinary meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s ministerial council in Kuwait on Thursday.
Ministers and officials from GCC countries discussed the latest developments in Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza.
They stressed the need to uphold Syria’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity after the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in early December.
The ministerial council rejected foreign interference in Syrian affairs and called for Western sanctions that have weakened the country’s economy to be lifted, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
They reaffirmed their support for a comprehensive transitional process that ensures civilian safety, achieves national reconciliation, and preserves state institutions.
The council condemned Israeli attacks on Syria and the plan to expand illegal settlements in the occupied Golan Heights. It also condemned Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
Officials stressed that Lebanon needs political and economic reforms to prevent it from becoming a hub for terrorism and drug smuggling, highlighting the critical role of the Lebanese security forces in addressing these issues, the SPA added.
The meeting affirmed the GCC’s support for the Palestinian people, and called for a permanent ceasefire, an end to the siege in Gaza, and the supply of humanitarian aid.
Prince Sultan bin Saad, Saudi ambassador to Kuwait, and other senior Saudi foreign officials attended the meeting.
200 students will compete to represent Saudi Arabia at top science events
- Mawhiba, Ministry of Education select students from a record 291,057 applications
RIYADH: A total of 200 students have been chosen to compete for a chance to represent the Kingdom at next year’s prestigious International Science and Engineering Fair and other international competitions.
The King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, or Mawhiba, and the Ministry of Education announced the qualification of the 200 students, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
The announcement took place at the National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity, or Ibdaa, exhibition for science and engineering. The Ibdaa event is held to create a competitive and creative environment for pre-college scientific researchers.
The students were selected from among 480 participants in the recent regional exhibitions held as a part of the fourth stage of the Olympiad.
The final qualifying stage for the Olympiad will be held at the Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University conference center in Riyadh from Feb. 2 to 6.
The Ibdaa 2025 Olympiad had a record registration of 291,057 students.
The Olympiad is an annual international contest for middle and high school students in standards and technology. It started as a local event in Korea in 2006, and became an international contest in 2014.
Beekeepers’ association launches green campaign
RIYADH: The Beekeepers Cooperative Association in Rijal Almaa in the Asir Region on Thursday launched an initiative to plant 1,000 sidr trees in Wadi Hiswah as part of an environmental sustainability plan aligning with the Saudi Green Initiative.
Inaugurated in 2021, the Saudi Green Initiative unites environmental protection, energy transition and sustainability programs with the overarching aims of offsetting and reducing emissions, increasing afforestation and land restoration, and supports Saudi Arabia’s ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2060.
The Beekeepers Association launched the green campaign in collaboration with the National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The chairman of the association’s board of directors, Ali bin Yahya Al-Hayani, said that this initiative aims to enhance air quality and combat climate change.
He identified the environmental benefits of the sidr tree, highlighting its resilience, its role in combating desertification, and its contribution to soil health and biodiversity.
Reconstituted Saudi IP authority’s board of directors approved
- Shihana Alazzaz, who is an adviser at the Royal Court, will continue to serve as chair
RIYADH: The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property’s newly-reconstituted Board of Directors was approved for a three-year term, the Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday.
In the reconstituted board, Shihana Alazzaz, who is an adviser at the Royal Court, will continue to serve as chair. She previously served as the deputy secretary-general of the Council of Ministers and was the first Saudi woman to hold the position.
The approval includes extending the membership of Eng. Haitham Al-Ohali, Eng. Osama Al-Zamil, and Dima Al-Yahya.
Badr Al-Qadi and Dr. Mohammed Al-Otaibi join the board as new members.
Alazzaz expressed her thanks and gratitude to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their generous and continuous support for the authority.
She also thanked the previous board members for their efforts and wished the new members success.
The authority’s CEO Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Suwailem, said that the new formation of the board reflects the continued generous support of the leadership for the authority, wishing the Board success.
