Saudi Cinema Night has finalized its third edition in the French capital, Paris, and needless to say it was a wild success. The first edition of this night was actually held in Jeddah in 2021 for weekend and since then it has been held annually.
This program, that is established by the Red Sea International Film Festival and Generation 2030, agenda usually features screening of films, followed by panel discussions with the directors themselves being a part of it. Film enthusiasts and other people who have worked on the movies also participated in the discussions. All this was happening at the Institut du Monde Arabe.
For this edition, three films were showcased. First one up on the list was titled, “Me and Aydarous” by filmmaker Sara Balghonaim, second was Khaled Zidan’s “Othman”, and third was “VHS Tape Replaced” by filmmaker Maha Al-Saati. The main theme that these three movies centered around was gender equality and the idea of masculinity.
In a conversation with Arab News, the president of the IMA spoke about his appreciation of the talent that Saudi Arabia brings out.
Jack Lang has specifically emphasized how he values the fact that KSA is “training creators, sending young filmmakers, for example, to Paris, to film school, encouraging production, opening cinemas, and this extraordinary festival in Jeddah (Red Sea International Film Festival).
“It is a mix of emotions and pride that we feel today,” Ida Alkusay stated to Arab News. Alkusay is one of the brilliant actors who plays a role in the short film “Me & Aydarous”.
“Me and Aydarous” tells the story of a young woman who wants to sneak off to a date, but then is confronted by her chauffeur. This film is 8 minutes.
“Othman” is 35 minutes long and it talks about a security guard that works a shift at a hospital parking. Othman lives a normal, quiet life with his cousin, Fahad, but soon enough things start to change.
“VHS Tape Replaced” is the third and last film that had screentime of 17 minutes. The movie revolves around a Black Saudi man who copies Crown, his idol from the 1980s, to try to get the love of his life to love him back.
