As the Cannes Film Festival approaches in 2023, there is more focus on cinema than ever. This is also evident from the 3rd edition of the Saudi Arabian Film Night, which took place on Monday, May 15, 2023 at the Institut Du Monde Arabe in Paris and offered a stage to new talent.
Initiated by the Franco-Saudi Friendship Association Génération 2023, the event enabled the public to discover three movie jewels created by filmmakers recognized both in their own country and internationally. The directors and actors of the films were present, as well as Jack Lang, president of the Institut Du Monde Arabe. An opportunity to delve into these three short films that are worth more than just a cursory glance:
“Me & Aydarous”
After starting her career as an assistant director alongside Haifaa Al Mansour on The Perfect Candidate and also starring in other Saudi films such as The Rat, The Last Visit and Black Sand, Sara starred as Balghonaim in 2019 in Dunya’s Day, which Special Jury received. Award at the Sundance Film Festival. As producer of Sweet Refuge starring Laith Nakli, she is directing her first film, Me & Aydarous, this year.
In this 8 minute short film, she takes us on a night out in Riyadh in 2003. While brave young woman Jude has to sneak out on a date, she is forced to deal with her driver.
“Replace VHS Tape”
Maha Al-Saati, an independent filmmaker driven by a passion to explore femininity, gender and women’s issues in the Arab world, received the 2021 TIFF Filmmaker Lab Fellowship’s Share Her Journey honorary award and an award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).
After “Fear Audibly” in 2017 and before “Cycle Of Apples” in 2019, she presented “Hair: The Story Of Grass” in 2018. She was selected for Fantastic Fest 2018, Slamdance 2019 and HollyShorts 2019 in this short film, which satirizes how body hair sets beauty standards and defines gender roles in the Arab world.
This year she returns with VHS Tape Replaced, which takes us back to 1987 and takes us to Eyad, a young black Saudi Arabian who tries to find love by posing as his favorite artist, Crown. A funny and endearing ode to tolerance and differences.
“Othman”
Khaled Zidan, director, cinematographer and co-founder of the production company Bright Frame Productions, at the age of 22 has received numerous awards for his work. In “Othman” he describes in 35 minutes the story of an ordinary security guard who is confronted with an event that takes him out of his rut and forces him to face reality.
A film that fully meets the young director’s desire to produce and stage realistic works about daily life in Saudi Arabia that distance themselves from clichés.