Category: Arts

Madinah: Madinah Region boasts numerous rural farms that serve as natural retreats and attractive destinations for many visitors and residents. These farms are prepared to welcome visitors, individuals and groups, offering guidance programs, entertainment, and various food selling points.

The rural farms offer their visitors a variety of activities and programs, including introductions to farming methods and how to care for crops, daily activities carried out by the farm owners, displays of different types of dates and other agricultural products, ancient industries, and handicrafts. Also, visitors can directly buy dates through farm stores and participate in agricultural celebrations and festivals.

SPA captured miscellaneous scenes of visitors coinciding with the beginning of the date harvest on these farms. Visitors enjoyed the seating areas within these farms, which are characterized by moderate weather, as well as the recreational areas designated for families and children. The farms also have restauran
ts and cafes offering different types of dishes to meet the aspirations of all visitors and residents of the region.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Jeddah: President of the Arab Tourism Organization, Dr. Bandar bin Fahd Al-Fuhaid, met today with the French Consul General in Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Nehad.

During the meeting, the two sides reached an agreement to collaborate on quality programs for tourism facilities and establish a plan and strategy for organizing a joint investment conference between the Arab and French sides every two years.

Dr. Al-Fuhaid emphasized during the meeting that the Arab Tourism Organization seeks to develop international cooperation with leading countries in the tourism industry. He noted that the organization aims to develop and explore joint cooperation with France in several areas, including training and qualification, investments, quality programs, and exchanging experiences in tourism security.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Haql: As summer season starts, the beaches of Haql Governorate are also beginning to witness crowds of vacationers and visitors from inside and outside the region, thanks to their attractive natural features that appeal to lovers of swimming, fishing, and recreation.

The governorate is distinguished by its beautiful beaches, pristine coasts, and captivating views of the Gulf of Aqaba, which extends 180 km along the coast, as it combines the beauty of nature and magic of the sea, in addition to its pure waters, diverse soft sands, and picturesque nature, attracting a large number of visitors and tourists from various regions.

Haql Governorate has unique beaches that provide a quiet and comfortable atmosphere for swimming and recreation, exploring amazing marine life, watching colourful coral reefs and marine creatures, and practising various recreational activities that add a touch of fun and excitement for visitors. Among the distinctive beach destinations are Umm Anam Beach, Al-Wasl Island Beach, Al-Wasl B
each, Al-Qafif Beach, and Al-Nakheel Park Beach.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Jeddah: The management of Jeddah Season 2024 has announced the launch of this season’s events under the theme “Once Again” next Thursday, during an opening ceremony that will take place at 9:30 p.m. in the Jeddah Art Promenade area located within the Jeddah Waterfront.

Jeddah Season 2024 features a variety of experiences suitable for all tastes and age groups, including families, children, and young people. It aims to ensure joy and happiness for visitors from within the Kingdom and tourists coming from abroad.

The season’s management has invited residents, visitors, and tourists to participate in the opening ceremony, which includes several accompanying events and activities such as drone shows, fireworks, visual displays, and roaming performances.

To enhance Jeddah Season 2024, several entertainment, tourist, and cultural activities will be held in several special areas of the season, including the City Walk area, which offers a diverse mix of interactive experiences, physical and skill games, along with
Arabic theater plays, musical concerts, restaurants, cafes, and shopping stores.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh: The General Entertainment Authority (GEA) has issued the Eid Al-Fitr Events 2024 Booklet, featuring a wide range of activities such as fireworks displays, music concerts, theatrical performances, and more. The events are set to take place in various regions of the Kingdom.

The booklet is available for viewing and downloading through the following link: https://t.co/NjW38iuUYz.

To celebrate Eid, fireworks will light up the sky in the Kingdom’s regions at 9 pm every evening, beginning on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr, to mark the joyous occasion.

A series of theatrical performances featuring Arab actors will be showcased. On April 14, the Mohammed Alali Theater in Riyadh will present the play “The Neighbor”, while Jeddah will host the play “The Red Box” at the Batterjee Medical College Theater, on April 13. Meanwhile, the Alasala Colleges Theater in Dammam will host on April 14 the play “Ors Aljen”.

The Eid events will also include eight music concerts held in different cities of the Kingdom.

As par
t of the Eid festivities, Boulevard City and Boulevard World will be open from 4 pm to 2 am and 1 am, respectively, offering a delightful experience throughout the Eid period. The Via Riyadh area will be open to visitors from 8 pm to 3 am.

Meanwhile, Jeddah is hosting the “Eid Destination” event at Jeddah Promenade for 10 days. This event features distinctive folk shows, musical concerts, entertaining performances, and interactive activities.

GEA said the theme for Eid Al-Fitr this year is “Your Eid Is among Your Family and Loved Ones”. The theme reflects GEA’s efforts to foster communication and spread happiness among Saudi residents and visitors.

This Eid theme captures the essence of the celebration and the joy shared by individuals, families, and even businesses. It is designed to appeal to a wide range of tastes and age groups, ensuring an inclusive Eid experience for everyone

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Dr. Ramzan bin Abdulla Al Noaimi, Minister of Information, has stated that the cinema is one of the promising sectors of the creative economy, which requires providing it with knowledge and empowering distinguished talented Bahrainis in all areas of the film industry to promote local production that reflects the Kingdom’s culture, identity and historical heritage.

The minister was speaking while opening the third edition of the Bahrain Film Festival, themed “Celebrating the Art of Film-making”, in the presence of a number of senior officials, media personnel, artists and a group of cinema stars from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Arab countries.

The Minister of Information said that the Bahrain Film Festival 2023 is held 100 years after the introduction of cinema into the kingdom, which indicates Bahrain’s clear leadership in this field, noting that its accumulated experiences are the source of inspiration for today’s generation of creative artists.

Dr. Al Noaimi added that this year’s edition aims to place the kingdom on the map of film festivals in the region, preserve the role of cinema in spreading national values and heritage, as well as convey Bahrain’s message and culture to all countries of the world.

The minister stated that the kingdom has the potential for success in the film industry, as it has been an incubator for film production for major international production companies since the 1970s.

He underlined the Information Ministry’s keenness to create the economic and creative atmosphere necessary for the success of qualitative investment projects in this field, and to support the private sector and foreign investments to develop the creative sector in the kingdom, paying tribute to Beyon company and NBB for supporting the festival and national efforts across many fields.

Osama Al Saif, Board of Directors Chairman of the Bahrain Cinema Club, the Festival Chairman, addressed the opening ceremony. He expressed thanks and appreciation to the Information Minister for patronising and supporting the Bahrain Film Festival, which will ensure its success.

He also praised the minister’s care for the cinema sector and youth filmmakers in the kingdom, which, he said, paves the way for more creativity in a cinema industry worthy of Bahrain’s cultural component.

Al Saif welcomed the festival’s guests and participants, affirming that the festival provides an opportunity for Bahraini youth artists to be informed about distinguished cinematic regional and international experiences.

The Information Minister then honoured a number of Bahraini and Arab artists and filmmakers, including Bahraini director Bassam Al Thawadi, for his landmark contributions to the cinema industry, Bahraini actress Shafeeka Yousif, for her continuous participation in Bahraini films, especially those produced by youth, and Egyptian star, Hala Sedki, for her 40-year career in the theatre, television and cinema.

The opening ceremony also featured the screening of a number of films that reflect aspects of partnership with film production institutions.

A total of 117 Arab short films are participating in the festival’s four categories, namely the Bahraini Film Competition, in which 19 films compete, short narrative films, in which 76 films compete, documentary films, in which 15 films compete, and the Animation Film Competition, in which 6 films compete.

Organised by the Bahrain Cinema Club from October 5 to 9, the Bahrain Film Festival 2023 is sponsored by Beyon and the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB), the festival’s strategic partners.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Syria participated in the 39th edition of the Alexandria Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries through the short feature film Laila’s Passion and the Nobleman (Shaghaf Laila and Al-Shahm) directed by Khaled Othman.

The film is produced by the National Film Organization tell the story of the life of a family in which the fates of the characters struggle between the selfishness of the husband and the ambition of the wife, and their daughter pays the price.

A total of 120 films from 25 countries will participates in the festival which kicked off today until October 5th.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

The Saudi Film Commission will participate in the 80th Venice International Film Festival, which will take place from August 30 to September 9 in Venice, Italy.

The participating Saudi delegation will be headed by Film Commission CEO Eng. Abdullah Al-Eyaf.

The commission will host a group of international experts in a panel discussion titled “Challenges and Solutions to Marketing Non-English Films to a Global Audience” during its participation in the round-table meeting.

The commission will also promote a campaign for the Saudi film industry’s notable success and development in this vital and creative field.

The Film Commission seeks to consolidate its presence and relationship with international filmmakers through dialogue sessions and bilateral meetings and to promote incentive programs to attract and encourage international film productions to film in the Kingdom’s unique terrain.

Venice International Film Festival is the first film festival in history and one of the three most prominent international festivals currently; it hosts and honours the most prestigious and famous figures in the film industry.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Damascus Soloists Band performed a musical evening on Monday in Moscow dedicated to introducing the Russian audience to Syriac music and its ancient history in Syria, in the presence of the Syrian Ambassador to Russia, Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari.

The band presented many Syrian melodies, chants, hymns, and church songs in the Arabic and Syriac languages, under the supervision of the academician Andrei Makdisi, and led by Maestro Misak Bagboudrian.

The band attended the concert at invitations of the organizers of the 17th International Music Festival “Moscow Forum”.

The evening’s program included 19 musical and lyrical pieces that simulate different stages of the development of the various Syriac rituals, including a set of folkloric melodies, church songs and hymns.

“We came from Syria, the country of love and peace, to share with you our art, our history and our love, and we thank you for this wonderful reception” Makdisi said at the end of the ceremony.

Bagboudrian explained that the band started its activity in Damascus then Moscow, to move to Novosibirsk later, and it received an invitation for next year to participate in the Sochi International Festival, with a possibility to participate in a concert in Petersburg.

“Syrian musicians enriched our experience with their wonderful performance, and this was the first time that we listened to Christian music from Syria, especially since most of the population of Russia embraces Eastern Orthodox Christianity and despite the chants and hymns that we heard today were in Arabic and Syriac, but they stirred our spiritual and heartfelt feelings “, Yulla, presenter of the concert, said.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency