JEDDAH: The British Council launched the “Small Screen, Short Film” festival on November 28, the first short film festival for young and ambitious filmmakers in the region.
Young filmmakers from the GCC can apply to the program whether they are residents or citizens, or citizens living in the UK. They can participate by creating a short film that does not exceed three minutes via their smartphones.
The British Council official Twitter account tweeted on December 1: “Think you can make a great short film using your smartphone or tablet? Then check Small Screen, Big Film, a filmmaking competition and online film festival for filmmakers in the Gulf or Gulf nationals living in the UK.”
The official account of British Council also tweeted: “Aged 14-25 and from the Gulf? The first ever Gulf smartphone film festival is now open for entries! 2 categories with 20 films screened online in March. Visit: http://bit.ly/SmallScreenBigFilm … | #keepitshort #competition”
Rehana Mughal, the British Council’s senior program manager for culture and sport in the Gulf, told Arab News: “Short films are a work of fiction; it can be based on reality; or drama or comedy, and can be in either animation or live action.”
She added: “The medium of short film allows for ease of making and the equipment of a smartphone or tablet means most people have access. “
To help filmmakers develop their entries, the British Council has partnered with IntoFilm, a British film-based educational charity, to create a step-by-step smartphone film guide, available for download from the festival website.
The competition also has a jury of renowned GCC and UK filmmakers who will shortlist films to be screened to a global audience during the online festival from March 15-25, 2018.
Jury members already confirmed include Emirati director Abdulla Al Kaabi, best known for his recent critically acclaimed film “Only Men Go to the Grave” (2017); Academy Award and four time BAFTA award-winning British filmmaker Asif Kapadia, whose documentaries “Amy” (2015) and “Senna” (2010) won him high praise; and English actress and writer, Amy Lowe, will also be among the jury.
Of the shortlisted films to be screened in March 2018 during the festival, four winners will be selected to receive one-on-one workshops with UK film talent.
Speaking of the program launch, Amir Ramzan, Saudi Arabia country director at the British Council, said: “Over our years in the Gulf, we’ve seen a growing passion among young people toward sport and culture in their communities, and have created the culture and sport program to provide a platform to support and grow this talent. We believe that everyone should be able to reap the benefits that being involved in sporting and cultural activities can bring, the idea being to help young people understand that you don’t necessarily have to be an artist or a footballer to be successful in this field and that there are many exciting career opportunities in these sectors.”
British Council dares GCC youth to make films with smartphones
British Council dares GCC youth to make films with smartphones
KSrelief delivers winter aid and dates to Yemen’s vulnerable
RIYADH: The Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief has delivered dates and winter shelter to vulnerable people in Yemen, the Saudi Press Agency reported late Thursday.
KSrelief’s volunteers distributed 100 winter bags in Thamud district, Hadhramaut governorate, for 600 individuals from 100 vulnerable families.
The aid is a part of the agency’s emergency shelter project in the country.
Meanwhile, 2,459 cartons of dates were delivered in Al-Wadi district, Marib governorate, for the benefit of 14,754 people.
KSrelief continues international relief efforts in Chad, Pakistan
RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief has delivered aid to people most in need in Chad and Pakistan, reported the Saudi Press Agency.
Some 201 food parcels, benefiting 1,206 people, were distributed in the village of Sharkaya, in Hajar Lamis province, as part of the 2024 Food Security Support Project in the Republic of Chad.
Aid has also been given to 10,500 vulnerable people in flood-affected areas of Pakistan as part of the fourth phase of KSrelief’s initiative to provide shelter materials and winter bags to the country.
Saudi agency KSrelief delivers food, hygiene kits in Syria
- The aid is a part of KSrelief’s projects to support earthquake-affected people in northern Syria
RIYADH: The Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief has distributed food and hygiene kits to thousands of vulnerable people across Syria, the Saudi Press Agency reported late Thursday.
The agency’s volunteers delivered 750 food parcels and 750 hygiene kits in Al-Hasakah, Syria, benefiting 4,500 people.
Meanwhile 745 Syrian families, comprising 2,652 people, in Al-Dana, Idlib governorate, received food and hygiene kits.
The aid is a part of KSrelief’s projects to support earthquake-affected people in northern Syria.
How Google aims to bridge the AI skills gap in Saudi Arabia and the wider region
- Backed by local partners, Google will boost AI upskilling for women, youth, migrants, and rural communities
- The AI Opportunity Initiative aims to equip half a million people across the MENA region with AI skills
DUBAI: As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes industries, job roles and skill requirements, the Middle East and North Africa region is actively embracing advanced technologies and collaborating with tech giants to bridge the skills gap in an evolving labor market.
One such collaboration is with Google’s newly launched AI Opportunity Initiative, which offers training and education opportunities to make AI technologies more accessible and inclusive across the region.
By collaborating with local organizations, the AI Opportunity Initiative seeks to “train half a million people in the next two years,” Anthony Nakache, managing director of Google MENA, told an audience at the recent AI Connect MENA event at Dubai’s Etihad Museum.
To achieve this, Google “will give a grant of $15 million to fund local organizations,” Nakache said.
Najeeb Jarrar, regional director of marketing at Google MENA, told Arab News: “We are very excited about this AI Opportunity Initiative, especially since we are seeing the Saudi community is fully embracing AI both on the consumer side and on the developer and resource side.
“This is an initiative that we have launched globally and we now are bringing to the region. One of the aims of this initiative is how we are leveling the playing field for AI and AI education and skilling across the entire region,” he added, noting that students will learn to use AI more productively, including skills such as prompt engineering.
To bridge the digital divide in the labor market, Google’s AI Opportunity Initiative aims to upskill underserved workers in AI by offering tailored training materials in Arabic, in partnership with the non-profit Manarat, online course provider Coursera, and other organizations.
Google’s largest AI project in the region, the AI Opportunity Initiative will focus on four key areas: AI skills development, research, products, and infrastructure.
DID YOUKNOW?
• The new AI Opportunity Initiative is Google’s largest AI project in the region.
• It aims to equip 500,000 people in the MENA region with AI skills within two years.
• Google is granting $15 million to local organizations between 2024 and 2027.
• The Saudi government is reportedly creating a $40 billion fund to invest in AI.
“We also worked with local NGOs and local players in the market to ensure that we are also reaching out to different partners,” Jarrar said.
Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, has announced plans to contribute $15 million between this year and the end of 2027, providing funding to organizations across the region to ensure accessibility to AI opportunities.
The AI Opportunity Initiative also aims to equip 500,000 people in the MENA region with AI skills in the first two years. This includes students, academics, developers, entrepreneurs and underrepresented groups.
Speaking about the issue of accessibility, Jarrar said: “We wanted to ensure first that this local initiative does not feel like an initiative that is hard to get for the average user.”
He pointed out that both language and local partners, such as Injaz and Raspberry Pi Foundation, play a major role in improving accessibility.
“The content is all in Arabic, we have local examples that we are actually able to showcase,” he said. “We are partnering with local partners that know the market and the community very well and are able to reach more people that are beyond what we can initially reach to.”
The AI Opportunity Initiative enables Google to expand the Maharat min Google program, which targets high school and university students, by introducing a new AI curriculum in Arabic.
As part of its mission to support underserved communities, Google.org is funding Village Capital, a non-profit that supports entrepreneurs tackling environmental, social and economic challenges.
Village Capital will equip business support organizations to offer AI upskilling opportunities to underserved workers.
The program targets women, youth, migrants and rural communities across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Bahrain and Iraq.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation will use grant funding from Google.org to train teachers in AI literacy, equipping students aged 11-14 in the region with AI safety skills to better understand and navigate the challenges of AI technologies.
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Speaking at the Google AI Connect Event, Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer for Alphabet and Google, said: “AI is estimated to contribute $320 billion in economic growth for the Middle East by 2030.
“Google is working to ensure that people and communities throughout the region have the skills needed to capture the upside of this emerging technology.”
She added: “Our local non-profit and university partners will help bring this program to people and communities throughout the region, ensuring that everyone can benefit from the opportunities that AI can deliver.”
Since 2005, Google has invested more than $400 million in academic research globally.
The tech giant also announced during its Dubai event the launch of new Arabic AI products, including Gemini Live in Arabic, Gemini for Teens, Imagen3, and Gems on Gemini in Arabic.
“For the previous year, we have worked hard with partners, with experts globally and from the region, to understand what are the constraints that we need to implement to make this product safer for teens, teens aged 13 to 18,” Jarrar said.
“We worked tirelessly to make sure we have the right guardrails to ensure that we had the right controls and the proper Q and A and testing, and today we are happy to say that Gemini for Teens is available for users and teens here in the region.”
These efforts are expected to support Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become an AI leader, ensuring its population stays aligned with the latest developments in the labor market.
A September report by the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence showed that 75 percent of the Saudi population is familiar with the concept of AI, and 64 percent are aware of its applications.
Saudi Arabia’s recreational spaces ready for holiday season
AL-BAHA: Saudi authorities have announced extensive preparations of public recreational facilities ahead of the school holiday season.
The Al-Baha municipality has readied 142 parks and recreational areas, along with municipal squares, public spaces and streets, to welcome visitors and tourists.
According to regional secretary, Ali bin Mohammed Al-Sawat, these facilities span more than 4,188,559.98 million square meters and feature amenities including children’s playgrounds, green spaces, shade structures, lighting, sidewalks, seating areas and parking, and facilities for activities such as walking and cycling.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Region Municipality has completed the preparation of 979 parks and public squares, 18 public recreational parks, 14 waterfront areas and 213 walking tracks.
The facilities are timely as moderate weather conditions and school breaks attract more outdoor activity.
The municipality emphasized its commitment to regular maintenance of these facilities, considering them vital breathing spaces for citizens and residents.
