Minister of Culture and Information Iyad Ameen Madani inaugurated the first session of the Saudi film contest here Tuesday night. The five-day contest is being organized in cooperation with Culture and Arts Society and literary clubs in the Eastern Province. The contest includes 47 films including 40 films produced by Saudis. In addition lectures, seminars and workshops on films are also planned. The minister honored Saudi producer Abdullah Al-Miheisin for his pioneering work in the filed of cinema. Madani underlined the importance of the contest and hoped that it would spread throughout the Kingdom. He noted that the cinema and films are still debatable topics ranging between acceptance and rejection, and said the films can play the role of communications with others like television, telephone and Internet. “The films reflect heritage, civilization and history and embody the intellectual activity in the society,” Madani said. He also urged those in the cinema industry to embody the problems of the country and nation in the cinema. Madani reiterated the readiness of the Ministry of Culture and Information to support such contests.
