The Cinemana Arab Film Festival (CAFF) or ‘Cinemana,’ will take place virtually in Kuwait City on Thursday, May 27.
Noted Omani film director and producer, Dr Khalid al Zadjali, Vice-President of the Arab Union for Film Artistes, headquartered in Cairo, will be present at the festival.
Dr Khalid who is Director of ‘Cinemana’ from 2019 told Observer that the organisers have so far have received about 131 films from different categories. The festival offers a platform for movie-makers to showcase their creative works to a jury of eminent film personalities and writers, he says.
Meanwhile, Dr Khalid has also been appointed film director for the first edition of Hope International Film Festival (HIFF) to be held in Stockholm from September 10-13, 2021. The festival is being supported by the Government of Sweden along with other promoters based in the Scandinavian nation.
He says Hope Festival highlights movies that kindle the aspect of humanity and acts of kindness and provides a platform for people who can recreate this on the silver screen. “There will be many formats for submitting entries as we are also mindful of the latest innovations that have made film-making possible for almost all creative minds,” the filmmaker said.
Dr Zadjali, whose movie ‘Zayana’, released in 2019 with an IMDB ranking of 7.9, says that he is excited to represent HIFF with its unique concept that revolves around women, children and those with physical and mental disabilities.
Dr Khalid also says that plans are on to invite a noted film personality from India, apart from other international celebrities.
Short movies and feature films shot by professionals as well as amateur filmmakers, with the above-mentioned concepts or themes are being invited for participation.
The feature films should be of 75 minutes duration while short films must be within 30 minutes and must have been made during 2020-2021 and subtitled in English or Swedish. There is no fee to register and participate in the festival, and the notification of the films approved for screening at the HIFF will be sent to the participants a month before the festival’s launch date.
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