NIZWA: A symposium was held at the Nizwa Cultural Centre on Monday as part of the Al Dakhiliyah International Film Festival, organised by the Omani Society for Cinema and Theatre in cooperation with the Office of the Governor of Al Dakhiliyah.
"The importance of the film industry, centres and festivals in the economic mobility" was the topic of the symposium presented by Bahraini director Bassam al Thawadi, Omani director Haitham Suleiman, Emirati director Nawaf al Janahi, Algerian director Dalil Belkhodir. Producer Qassem Sulaiman was the moderator.
Bassam al Thawadi, speaking about the past, referred to an old question asked by Egyptian artist Mahmoud Morsi, which was "Why do you want cinema in Bahrain?" The answer was also a question, "Is it because we love cinema only?" which indicated that the love for cinema alone was not a justification for the film industry.
The Bahraini director pointed out that the percentage of film lovers in the eighties of the last century did not exceed the fingers of the hand. This number is never enough for governments to come in support of the film sector. He stressed the need to increase this base, which still does not constitute a large number of the total population in the Arabian Gulf today. The number of film lovers does not exceed 1 per cent of the total population.
He said the sector grows through such forums and festivals, awareness and study, and development of strategies. As for enlarging the base of movie watchers, it is through the establishment of associations and outfits that can attract those interested in films and thus make a larger audience.
He also indicated that film-makers should get good distributors who can promote business on modern platforms such as Netflix, Shahid, and others. He said film production is not limited to cinemas only, which are few in the Arab Gulf. He noted that the process is not easy because if these platforms are not convinced of the quality of work, they will not accept it, and the pressure is tremendous on them.
Omani director Haitham Suleiman presented a paper entitled, "The characteristics of film work in Oman - Al Dakhiliyah Governorate as a model''. He focused on models from the governorate, whether from human cadres or sites that attract film production. He talked about the areas of challenge in film work, including the script's weakness and actors' weakness, bringing out the significant differences between television, theatrical and cinematic scenarios.
Algerian director Dalil Belkhoudri spoke about the new concept of cinema, which can be called "the digitisation of cinema" and "the digitisation of film festivals," imposed by the Covid pandemic. Considering that culture and art, including cinema, are lifelines that cannot be stopped, these images emerged from virtual cinema and virtual festivals.
Emirati director Nawaf al Janahi spoke about the film industry concept. He said: "We do not have a cinema industry in the region, but it is a cinematic movement. The industry needs production companies specialised in cinema, strong production, and an education sector establishing that industry."
Nawaf al Janahi concluded his speech by saying: "We need to teach cinema in schools, for cinema is an essential part of training, and from here, we must focus on expanding the circle of attention if we want to create an economic return and a cinema industry."
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