The Delegation of the European Union and Arabia Pictures Entertainment launch the 2nd edition of the European Film Festival in Saudi Arabia

VOX Cinemas Sahara Mall will host 16 European films from 7-14 June

European Union and Arabia Pictures Entertainment

Waqar Naseem Wamiq, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 4th June 2023 – The Delegation of the European Union in Riyadh, in cooperation with the Embassies of the EU Member States and the Arabia Pictures Entertainment, announces today the 2nd edition of the European Film Festival taking place in Saudi Arabia. The Festival will run from 7-14 June at VOX Cinemas Sahara Mall and entail a screening of 16 European films from different European countries. These include Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

The line-up of films includes “Quiet Girl”, nominated for Best International Feature Film Oscar, “I am Zlatan” by Jens Sjogren, telling the story of the world famous Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović and “Sugar and Stars” by Riadh Belaiche, which will land its Arab World Premiere in Riyadh as part of the Festival.

H.E. Mr. Patrick Simonnet, EU Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, commented: “We are very happy to host, for the second time, the European Film Festival in Saudi Arabia. As the EU, we are keen to be part of the growing cultural scene of Saudi Arabia through various cultural events that foster cultural exchange and engage Europeans and Saudis on aspects of mutual interest such as film in this instance. People-to-people engagement is notably also an important pillar of EU’s Strategic Partnership with the Gulf.”

European Union and Arabia Pictures Entertainment

Abdulelah Al Ahmary, Founder of Arabia Pictures Entertainment, added: “Our company is privileged to organize the European Film Festival in Saudi Arabia for the second year in a row. Arabia Pictures Entertainment will continue to support the event with all the necessary tools to make it a special cinematic experience for all the film buffs in Saudi Arabia.”

Aimed at facilitating cultural exchange and promoting European cinema, the Festival will also foster contacts between the European and Saudi filmmakers through the organisation of dedicated side-events. Among the guests will be film directors Nuno Beato, Sebastien Tulard and Isabel Fernández, from Portugal, France and Spain respectively, who will meet the audiences and run an open conversation with filmmakers and film enthusiast. Other events include actress Zübeyde Bulut playing in the German film “Sisters Apart” shown at the Festival, presenting in a panel discussion the relationship between agents and actors as well as Willemien Sanders from Netherlands participating in a panel on telling stories about women in film.

All screenings and side-events will take place at VOX Cinemas Sahara Mall. VOX Cinemas is also sponsoring the event alongside Camões Institute, Alliance Française, Goethe Institute as well as Embassies of France, the Netherlands and Portugal.

Tickets to all film screenings are 35 SAR. For further information about the Festival’s schedule and for purchasing tickets, please visit: https://arabiapictures.sa/EuroFest or https://ksa.voxcinemas.com.

European Union and Arabia Pictures Entertainment3

European Union and Arabia Pictures Entertainment4

About the European Union Delegation

The Delegation of the European Union to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman and the Kingdom of Bahrain opened in Riyadh in 2004. The EU Delegation is also representing the EU vis-à-vis the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Islamic Development Bank. The EU Delegation works on many areas of cooperation between EU and Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain as well as the GCC, including political dialogue, economic and trade issues, regional security, education as well as climate change and transition to green energy/economy.

Read more about us on the EU Delegation’s website / Twitter: @EUintheGCC / Instagram: @EUinKSA / Facebook: @EUinKSA / EU Ambassador’s Twitter: @eusimonpa

About Arabia Pictures Entertainment

Arabia Pictures Entertainment is a multifaceted media and entertainment company based in Saudi Arabia. With a young team of creatives, APG is dedicated to Film Production, Distribution, Training, Events Management and Advertising. Embracing the local culture at its core, AP Entertainment aims to keep nurturing talent, supporting film appreciation, building a vibrant film industry, creating original and enthralling multi-platform content, and generating a sustainable business within the realm of entertainment.

About Majid Al Futtaim Entertainment

Majid Al Futtaim Entertainment operates the MENA region’s largest cinema exhibitor, VOX Cinemas, which has more than 600 screens. It also has a portfolio of world-class entertainment experiences across the region including Ski Dubai, Ski Egypt, Snow Oman, Dreamscape, Magic Planet, Little Explorers and iFLY Dubai.

In addition to being the largest cinema exhibitor in the Middle East, Majid Al Futtaim Entertainment also produces premium Arabic content and serves as a major film distributor for both major and independent studios.

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Waqar Naseem Wamiq is a Riyadh based journalist and chief editor of RX.
He can be reached at waqarabia@gmail.com