It will run until January 27th

Al Ain Film Festival opens its fourth edition with "The Blind Man"

The activities of the fourth edition of the Al Ain Film Festival kicked off today, Sunday, January 23, at the historic Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain, which will be held under the patronage of Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, member of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, from January 23 to 27. , under the slogan "Cinema of the Future".

The opening ceremony witnessed the screening of the Finnish film "The Blind Man Who Didn't Want to Watch Titanic", in its first Gulf screening, emphasizing the diversity and excellence of the festival's choices for a bouquet of distinguished films, which contributes to the exchange of cultures and cinematic experiences, and helps the promising film generation gain knowledge through films. Globalism.

The opening ceremony also witnessed the honoring of a group of influential people in the art industry in the region, in celebration of their many accomplishments. They are the late Kuwaiti producer, writer and director Khaled Al-Siddiq, one of the pioneers of the cinematic movement in Kuwait, where he produced and directed the first Kuwaiti feature film entitled “Just Oh” Bahr” in 1972, and he received many international and Arab awards and honors in celebration of his long artistic career, and Emirati producer and artist Sultan Al Neyadi, who harnessed his life and artistic creations to advance Emirati art, presenting many local works through which he embodied characters that are still engraved in the viewer’s memory. Emirati, Gulf, and Arab filmmakers so far, and through which he reviewed various and important stages of the history of the UAE, and the Egyptian film critic Tariq Al-Shennawi, who is considered one of the most prominent film critics in the region, and won many awards and honors for his critical writings and their positive impact on the Arab cinema scene.And the Gulf.

The founder and director general of the festival, Amer Salmeen Al-Marri, indicated that “Al-Ain Film” succeeded in embodying great dreams and ambitions in its previous sessions, at a time when film productions were almost drying up due to the “Corona” pandemic, and it continued as a center of cultural and artistic radiation, in supporting talents. Promising and preparing young filmmakers, and showcasing the best cinematic productions in the region. Pointing out that the festival has attracted, in 4 years, 293 films, including 167 long and short Emirati films, and 30 films from the world, in addition to the most important Gulf and Arab films, most of them in their first Gulf and international screenings. Films were nominated for Oscars, and previous sessions witnessed the conclusion of agreements and contracts. Partnerships to be a platform to serve filmmakers, most notably:Cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Festival in the Unexecuted Scenario Competition, as it is the strategic cultural partner and the EU mission agreement, and the launch of the “National Filmmaking Program” in cooperation with Vision Films Cinema Company. Their creativity until the current session, through the competitions "Emirati Falcon Long and Short" and "Student and Resident Films".

He pointed out that this year's session was prepared and implemented with great challenge due to the difficult circumstances, and we were able to launch it on time, with full commitment to the precautionary and preventive measures, and the best safety conditions approved by the state, and despite the lack of productions in the world of the film industry, the festival was able to attract 58 films in a session. This year, the session will also witness the conclusion of a new agreement with the Polish "Krakow Film Festival" with the aim of spreading local film and spreading Emirati culture abroad, in addition to holding a variety of activities including seminars, lectures and workshops during the days of the festival.

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