Film fans revel on ‘green carpet’ as Saudi festival begins
dammam (Saudi Arabia) — The “red carpet” was made of green artificial turf and women wore traditional black robes instead of plunging necklines when the third Saudi Film Festival opened on Thursday night.
About 400 enthusiastic film fans filled a hall for the opening ceremony at a culture and arts centre in the Gulf coast city of Dammam.
Yellow and purple lights swirled on the ceiling before the hall darkened. A six-metre screen showed trailers from among the 70 Saudi productions competing at the fiveday festival, while six speakers mounted high on the walls blared cinema-strength sound.
Women sat at the back, in line with the tradition of separation of the sexes, but almost none covered their faces. Some even went without the traditional hair covering. Men were in front on red chairs — not plush theatre seats but the kind commonly used in banquet halls.
They hooted and loudly applauded the opening remarks of festival director Ahmed AlMulla before watching a tribute to the late Saad Al Fruraih, a pioneering Saudi television director. Opening night gave a world premiere to three of the festival entries. Rakan AlHarbi’s fantasy tells the story of a museum for “terrorists” and the conversation a visitor has with a wounded bomber lying bloodied among his victims.
is a thought-provoking drama by Hajar Alnaim about mercy killing, and Mohammed Salman’s delightful documentary features taxi drivers in Qatif city.
Earlier, film fans crowded onto the “green carpet” in a courtyard, posing for photographs not by paparazzi but by the festival’s photo team with “media” emblazoned on their shirts.
AlMulla said the red carpet that he planned did not arrive in time, but the green one did just fine.
It became a crowded platform for some young men who dispensed with their traditional dress and wore pork pie or Andy Capp hats, bow ties, permed hair and twisted moustaches.
Organisers hope the event will help develop the country’s nascent film industry. “We try to raise the standards, to make it better,” AlMulla said.
This is the second consecutive festival after the event resumed last year following an absence of seven years. The festival will culminate on Monday when winners receive Golden Palm Tree trophies in the drama, documentary and student categories. Scripts not yet in production are also judged.