Dr. Ramzan bin Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Minister of Information, confirmed that the cinema sector is one of the promising sectors of the creative economy, which necessitates providing this sector with knowledge and empowering distinguished Bahraini talents in all areas of the film industry to enhance local production that reflects the Kingdom’s culture, identity and historical heritage.
This came in a speech by the Minister of Information during the opening of the third session of the Bahrain Film Festival 2023, which is being held this year under the slogan “Celebrating the Art of Filmmaking,” in the presence of a number of senior officials, media figures, artists, and an elite group of movie stars in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the Arab world.
The Minister of Information said that the launch of the Bahrain Film Festival 2023, one hundred years after the introduction of cinema into the Kingdom of Bahrain, represents a clear indication of the Kingdom’s leadership in this field, and that the experiences inherited over the past decades will be the basis from which today’s generation of creators and artists will start.
He added that the festival aims, in its third session, to place the Kingdom on the map of film festivals in the region, and to preserve the role of cinema in spreading our values and heritage and conveying the message of the Kingdom of Bahrain and its culture to all countries of the world.
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The Minister of Information stated that the Kingdom of Bahrain possesses the ingredients for success in the film industry sector, as it has been an incubator for cinematic production for major international production companies since the 1970s, noting the Ministry of Information’s keenness to create the economic and creative climate 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, expressing his thanks to Beyon Company and the National Bank of Bahrain for their support of the festival and their sincere national efforts in many fields.
Then Osama Al Saif, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bahrain Film Club and President of the Festival, delivered a speech in which he expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to the Minister of Information for his sponsorship and support of the Bahrain Film Festival, which constitutes an incentive for the success of the festival in achieving its goals, praising its embrace and care of the cinema sector and young filmmakers in the Kingdom. Bahrain, which opens up avenues for more creativity and creating cinema worthy of the cultural component of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Al Saif welcomed the guests and participants in the third session of the festival, stressing that the festival constitutes a favorable opportunity to qualify young Bahraini artists and creators through exposure and openness to many pioneering and distinguished cinematic experiences at the regional and international levels.
Then the Minister of Information honored a number of Bahraini and Arab artists and filmmakers to celebrate their distinguished contributions throughout their rich artistic and cinematic careers. He honored the Bahraini director Bassam Al-Thawadi for his contributions and leadership in the film industry, and the distinguished Bahraini artist Shafiqa Yousef, for her continuous contributions and participation in Bahraini films, in particular. Short films produced by young people, in addition to the distinguished Egyptian star Hala Sidqi for her various artistic contributions and contributions over 40 years in theatre, television and cinema, as the Kingdom of Bahrain was one of the starting stations for the artist Hala Sidqi through the series “Journey 83” in 1993.
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The opening ceremony also included the screening of a number of films that reflect aspects of partnership with film production institutions.
This year, 117 short Arab films will compete in the third session of the Bahrain Film Festival. The festival’s competition includes four main categories: The Bahraini Film Competition, in which 19 films compete, the Short Narrative Film Competition, in which 75 films compete, in addition to the Documentary Film Competition, in which 15 films compete, and the Animation Film Competition, in which 7 films compete.
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The festival is scheduled to continue until the ninth of October, and is being organized with the support of Beyon and the National Bank of Bahrain (the two strategic partners of the festival), and with the organization of the Bahrain Cinema Club.
