Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) May 30 , 2024 : The opening ceremony of the 3rd edition of the European Film Festival in Saudi Arabia took place at VOX Cinemas Riyadh Front in the presence of a large number of Saudi stars and film professionals. Among the prominent starts attending the Opening Ceremony, presented by actress Samar Shesha, were Adwa Fahad, Zara Albalushi, Bader Mohsin and Marwa Al Chaffai, among others. The guests were welcomed by H.E. Christophe Farnaud, EU Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and Mr Abdulelah Al-Ahmari, founder of Arabia Pictures Entertainment, alongside the Ambassadors of the EU Member States and a large number of Saudi and international media entities.
After the blue carpet reception and welcome speeches, the Irish movie “Lakelands” by directors Robert Higgins & Patrick McGivney was screened as the Festival’s opening film. The two Irish directors were also present at the Opening Ceremony, alongside Oscar-winning Austrian director Stefan Ruzowitzky and Dutch filmmaker Mijke de Jong. The Festival will also be honoured by the presence of Cypriot moviemaker Kyriakos Tovaridis.
The 3rd European Film Festival in Saudi Arabia will run from 29 May to 6 June and be hosted at VOX Cinemas Century Corner in Riyadh and at the newly opened VOX Cinemas Jeddah Park in Jeddah. The European Film Festival is organised by the Delegation of the European Union in Riyadh, in close cooperation with the Embassies of the EU Member States and Arabia Pictures, as well as with the support of the Saudi Film Commission and VOX Cinemas.
The Festival is this year bigger than ever featuring 21 European films from different European countries. These include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. The line-up of films includes also several award-winning movies, including Oscars and the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Representing the finest of recent European cinema, all movies are shown only once and with English and Arabic subtitles. Tickets cost 30 SAR. F
Aimed at facilitating cultural exchange and promoting European cinema, the Festival will also foster contacts between the European and Saudi filmmakers through the organisation of dedicated side-events. These will take place at Riyadh VOX Century Corner and are sponsored by the Saudi Film Commission. All side-events are free of charge but prior registration on Festival’s website is encouraged. The visiting European directors will also engage in a Q&A with the audience following the screening of their respective film, which promises to be a special treat for the movie-goers.