Saudi Arabia participates in the 79th Venice Film Festival

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is participating in the 79th Venice Film Festival, according to the local media. The country’s Film Commission is excited about the event.

The 79th Venice Film Festival will continue until 10th September in Italy. The world’s oldest film festival is organized by La Biennale di Venezia. Every year, the event attracts a large audience. The event usually includes screenings and panel discussions.

Saudi Arabia’s Film Commission is taking part in the film festival with the aim to strengthen its presence in international forums and increase its relations with filmmakers worldwide. The Film Commission also seeks to promote its incentive program to attract international film productions to Saudi Arabia. The commission also aims to highlight the film industry in the Kingdom and its successes.

According to the Arab News, the film commission will present workshops at the film festival to showcase the program’s advantages to all the filmmakers across the world. The commission reportedly wants to support Saudi talent by enhancing its presence on all the major film platforms.

According to the La Biennale di Venezia website, the film festival aims to raise awareness and promote international cinema. Venice has become increasingly important for production houses and filmmakers in recent years. The event draws together movies from different countries and cultures at one stage. 

The film festival started on Wednesday with a powerful message from the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a topical opening film starring Adam Driver about a deadly health crisis and misinformation.

French actress Catherine Deneuve also picked up a lifetime achievement award during the event on Wednesday. 

After two scaled-back editions, the film festival returns this year without any Covid-19 restrictions. As part of the initiatives dedicated to Ukraine, a Ukrainian Day will be held on September 8 to show solidarity with Ukrainians amid the war.