Saudi filmmakers to shine at Los Angeles festival
JEDDAH: Six films from Saudi Arabia will headline the second annual Young Saudi Film Festival, which opens in Los Angeles this week, the New York Film Academy (NYFA) has announced.
The festival on Feb. 18 at the Harmony Gold Theater on Sunset Boulevard will also showcase two films from Egypt.
The eight short films range from five to 20 minutes in length, and cover a wide range of genres, from comedies to dramas and family-friendly screenplays.
Young Saudi Film Festival (YSFF) President and NYFA student Rakan Anneghaimshi highlighted the difficulties young Saudis faced attempting to break into the film industry. “Last year, Saudi filmmakers didn’t have any theaters where they could show their films and creative productions. With hope and consistent effort, cinema is now back again in Saudi Arabia.
“Our goal since Abdul Aziz Al-Mutari and I started YSFF was to have a platform to link filmmakers to each other so they can exchange experiences, knowledge, and connections,” he said. “It’s going to be the same case this year. We had an impressive variety of films submitted from around the world, and we congratulate all the filmmakers. It was very challenging for our selection committee to choose only eight films.”
The festival will show a congratulatory video by Saudi Arabian actor Nasser Al-Gassaby, as well as an original performance piece by the renowned NYFA troupe. The festival will conclude with a question-and-answer session moderated by YSFF host Maan bin Abdulrahman.