Day: May 19, 2022

Dubai– The pavilion of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has concluded its remarkable participation in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), which was held in Dubai, UAE for 4 days of May, during which the Saudi Tourism Authority was distinguished by a record number of partners of the Saudi tourism system, amounting to 29 partners who succeeded in highlighting the treasures of Saudi tourism, and its diversity, depth and tremendous opportunities, in addition to the success in re-communicating and confirming the commitment with the tourism industry and major international companies, by holding more than 4,000 meetings and concluding more than 90 partnership agreements and memoranda of understanding, paving the way for a renewed stage of cooperation and integration to contribute to the stability, growth and sustainability of the tourism sector in the Kingdom.

On this occasion, Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO and board member of the Saudi Tourism Authority confirmed that the Kingdom enjoys the confidence of the tourism industry and major international companies, which translates the volume and quality of agreements and memoranda of understanding that were concluded in Dubai ATM 2022.

It is worth mentioning that the Saudi pavilion in Dubai ATM 2022 has announced a number of new programs, agreements and partnerships for 2022.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh– The Ministry of Interior has extended the grace period for allowing citizens to license illegal weapons and ammunition and suspends the legal accountability measures and penalties stipulated in the arms and ammunition system, which impose financial fines, imprisonment, and denial of licensing for violators, for one year starting from 17/10/ 1443 AH.

The Ministry called on all citizens to take the initiative to disclose their unlicensed weapons and ammunition, per the Weapons and Ammunition System issued by Royal Decree No. (M/45) dated 07/25/1426 AH and its executive regulations and instructions issued in this regard, as well as weapons that have been transferred to them by inheritance or will, and to hand them over voluntarily or legalize their status by reporting to the nearest police station before the end of the deadline on 16/10/1444 AH.

The ministry noted that the forms and instructions for this initiative can be obtained through the ministry’s website www.moi.gov.sa, and booking an appointment for attendance through the appointment service on the Absher platform.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

N’Djamena– King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) distributed Tuesday 800 food baskets to women, literacy, and Holy Quraan education centers, in N’Djamena, the Republic of Chad, benefiting 4,800 people.

This aid comes as part of the relief and humanitarian efforts provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by KSrelief, to the affected countries and peoples around the world.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Cannes, The Saudi Film Commission (SFC), is participating in the 75th edition of the Cannes International Film Festival which runs from 17-28 May, to build awareness of the country’s rapidly developing film industry, showcase its unique cinematic and pristine locations, and champion new and exciting talent in a drive to become a world-class hub for film and TV production.

Located in the International Village, the Saudi Pavilion will be the epicenter of information, events, panel discussions, and networking, bringing together country partners who are making great strides in building the industry and enhancing the ecosystem in the Kingdom.

The Saudi Film Commission will be joined by partners from across the Saudi film sector including the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF), Film AlUla (the Royal Commission for AlUla’s film agency), the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA), the media hub of Neom, and Ithra (King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture). MBC GROUP, the largest media company in the Middle East & North Africa region will be also present at the pavilion this year.

They are joined by other entities covering several sectors of the media and entertainment industry including production, distribution, content creation and talent development.

A delegation of promising Saudi film talent shaping the filmmaking culture of Saudi Arabia will also head to Cannes showcasing the best of the rapidly flourishing filmmaking scene. They will present their work at the Short Film Corner, a successful sidebar to the Festival organized by the Marché du Film and designed to give a new generation of filmmakers a platform on the global stage.

Abdullah Al Eyaf, CEO of the Saudi Film Commission said: “We are thrilled to return to the Cannes Film Festival to connect with the international film industry to build awareness around what is happening in our flourishing creative sector and to showcase the country as a truly unique and exciting film destination. The Festival is the perfect platform to champion emerging talent who will showcase their work on the big screen to the global film industry. This is an exciting time for Saudi Arabia, and Cannes provides a crucial opportunity for us to maximize opportunities as we drive the rapid growth of the industry.”

The Saudi Film Commission also presents the ‘State of Arabia’ Conference at the Marché du Film featuring Saudi producer and director Aymen Khoja, Egyptian producer Mohammed Hefzy, and Tunisian director Lotfy Nathan who makes his feature debut with ‘Harka’ a recipient of the RSIFF’s Red Sea Souk Award and screening as part of the Festivals Certain Regard section. The panel will explore the future of Arab cinema and discuss the opportunities and challenges that need to be addressed in order to build a robust industry that will elevate Arab cinema and command the attention it deserves.

Film AlUla will also take to the stage to introduce the country as a global film hub at the American Pavilion joined by Stephen Strachan, Film AlUla, Abduljalil Alnasser, General Manager of Sector Development and Investment Attraction at the Saudi Film Commission, Wayne Borg, Managing Director Media Industries, Entertainment & Culture at NEOM, Zeinab Abu Alsamh, General Manager of MBC Studios, Matt Rhodes, Producer & President at The Hideaway Entertainment and Christian Mercuri, CEO of Capstone.

The group will discuss the international and regional ambitions to become a production powerhouse, huge internal investment combined with a strong financial incentive offering, and a film-friendly ecosystem to support productions in an exciting new destination for filmmakers.

Over the last 18 months Saudi Arabia has provided the backdrop for three major Hollywood films, Ric Roman Waugh’s action thriller ‘Kandahar’ filmed in the extraordinary landscape of AlUla, home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hegra, and Jeddah, Rupert Wyatt’s historical epic ‘Desert Warrior’ shot in the incredible new city state of Neom and the region of Tabuk, and the Russo Brothers’ crime drama ‘Cherry’ shot in AlUla and the capital Riyadh.

In addition, 8 local feature films have reached completion in the last 12 months and ready to hit the festival circuit along with a slate of documentaries, commercials and local productions including ‘Norah’ written and directed by Tawfik Alzaidi and ‘Within Sand’ directed by Moe Alatawi. Both films were recipients of a fund award at the Saudi Film Commission’s Daw’ Film Competition, an initiative launched by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture in September 2019 to support Saudi film production and champion the next generation of filmmakers by establishing a sustainable funding program to bring Saudi content to the screen and wider global audiences.

The country hosts two film festivals annually, the Saudi Film Festival, now in its 8th edition, has grown to become a crucial springboard for exciting new voices and the Red Sea International Film Festival which enjoyed a successful first edition in 2021 showcasing 136 films representing 68 countries in 35 languages including 28 World Premieres with 38% of the program made up of female filmmakers and 27 homegrown features and shorts from exciting new Saudi voices.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

California– Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha, currently on a visit to the USA, had met the day before yesterday (Tuesday), May 17, 2022, in California, United States of America with Artur Bergman, the Founder and Executive Chairperson of “Fastly” company that is specialized in delivering cloud computing services.

The meeting discussed enhancing the Flexibility of Digital Infrastructure, cooperating to develop the capabilities of local platforms, websites, and applications.

Also, they talked about the role of edge computing and CDNs in the future of the Internet and discussed the future collaboration areas for enhancing the digital infrastructure within the region and maintain a better internet ecosystem.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Jeddah– The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has sent a cable of congratulation to President Paul Biya of the Republic of Cameroon on the anniversary of his country’s National Day.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques wished the President constant good health and happiness and the government and people of the Republic of Cameroon steady progress and prosperity.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Jeddah– Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha on 20 May 2022 will be on an official visit to the US capital city of Washington, D.C., to hold a series of meetings with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and senior US State Department officials.

The Secretary General will discuss with US State Department officials a wide spectrum of topics of shared interest, from political issues, to counterterrorism, the prevention of extremism and Islamophobia, human rights, climate change, women’s empowerment and health issues.

Hissein Brahim Taha’s visit comes within the context of the first leg of a tour of strategic dialogues between the OIC and the United States of America to address common global challenges through reinforced partnership and bilateral cooperation between the two sides.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Makkah– The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Holy Mosque and Prophet’s Holy Mosque sterilizes Al-Safa and Al-Marwa mountains at the Grand Holy Mosque periodically (one a week) according to an action plan prepared in cooperation with the agency of services and field affairs to realize environment prevention to sterilize the Grand Holy Mosque and its yards and facilities with the aim of increasing the level of sterilization and prevention.

Director of the administration of sterilization and carpets of the Grand Holy Mosque Jaber Al-Wadaani said that the two mountains are sterilized with special tools and cleaning materials for the Grand Holy Mosque by a specialized team of architectural personnel who are tasked with following up on the conditions of Al-Safa and Al-Marwa mountains on a daily basis to address shortcomings, clean glass surrounding Al-Marwah Mountain, and clean dust.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Hargeisa– King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) on Tuesday distributed 2,200 food baskets in Sool, Somaliland, benefiting 13,200 individuals.

This aid comes as part of the relief and humanitarian efforts provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by KSrelief, to enhance food security and support the affected countries and peoples around the world.

Source: Saudi Press Agency