26 November 2014
Ministry of Culture Launches Bahrain Cinema Days “Sea Cinema”
In line with Manama’s selection as the Capital of Asian Tourism 2014 and the Year of the Arts program, the Ministry of Culture as part of its strategy of forming new partnerships with Asian embassies in Bahrain will host special Asian cultural weeks on a monthly basis which highlight the countries’ arts, announces start of Bahrain Cinema Days-Sea Cinema, on 26-30 November 2014. The 1st edition of this event will be launched throughout City Center cinema halls in a comprehensive program, which covers Asian countries with varied cultural and cinematographic manifestations.
Speaking on the occasion, H.E Shaikha Mai bint Mohammad Al-Khalifa, Minister of Culture, said “ Bahrain is a happy citadel of love and beauty, throughout the seasons and events, embraces, with much joy and hopeful aspirations, the Asian cultures and universal human values reflected through cinema”. The Minister of Culture added that “We love the beauty of art with all its manifestations because it is a major source of inspiration. We present you today our ancestors’ source of inspiration; the sea as interpreted by cinema directors cameras. The event comes as part of our celebrations of Manama as the Asian Tourism country, 2014, and will present the best refined sensational audiovisual productions.”
On 26th November 2014, Bahrain Cinema Days will be launched at 6:30 pm at the City Center mall where more than 55 local, regional, Asian and international films are set to be screened during a film festival being held by the Culture Ministry between 11:00 am-12.00 pm. The inaugural Bahrain Cinema Days is being held under the theme Sea Cinema, opening on Wednesday and running until Sunday. The festival will also feature the winners of this year’s Naqsh Short Film Festival and host several films in collaboration with the Bahrain Cinema Club. It is set to take place at City Centre Bahrain cinema, as well as in the Bahrain Fort courtyard.
The Festival will honor three prominent film professionals who have devoted their careers to building a vibrant film scene in the region. Internationally renowned Kuwaiti director and producer Khalid Al Siddiq, famous Egyptian producer Daoud Abdel Sayed, and Bahraini veteran filmmaker Khalifa Shaheen will receive the honors during the opening night ceremony of this festival. Among the Arab films that will be screened are Egyptian movie Messages From the Sea (Rasa’il Min Il Bahar), Tunisian movie The Season of Men (Mawsim IlRijal), Palestinian film My Love Will Wait For Me By The Sea (Habibi Biyistanani Enid Il Bahar), Emirati film The Sea’s Voice (Sawat Al Bahar) and Algerian movie Warship (Haraka).
International films to be screened at the festival include features from the US, Mexico and Denmark, alongside Asian films from several countries, including the Philippines, China, Iran, Turkey and Cambodia.
The Ministry of Culture also announced its decision to sponsor and support cinema short films producers in Bahrain, whereby the Ministry has effectively sponsored 13 short narrative movies dealing with the sea as a theme and symbol. These sea plot and theme movies will participate in a Bahrain Cinema Days contest, whose results will be announced on 30th November 2014. The jury will be presided over by Mr. Ali Abu Shadi (Egypt), Lina Haweyan Al-Hassan (Syria) as member and Mohammad Hassan Ahmad (UAE) as a member too.
Bahrain Cinema Days also includes many forums and cultural events, which will be held at Bahrain National Museum’s Cultural Hall. Two seminars, ‘Sea in Film’ and ‘Film and Television: Divergence or Separation’ will be held on Friday 28th November and Saturday 29th November 2014 respectively at Bahrain Fort at 5pm. Details of film screening time can be obtained from City Centre Bahrain cinema.
