Students Filmmakers from 15 Arab and Foreign Countries Take Part in Al-Qal’a Student Film Festival in Damascus
Al-Qal’a Student film Festival , which is being held for the first time in Syria, is an opportunity for students studying cinema with its various sciences and specializations to present their films before the public and exchange experiences with others..
The festival, which was opened on Sunday at the Citadel of Damascus, screens 42 films from 14 countries in addition to 12 Syrian films, distributed between the productions of the Technical Institute of Applied Arts and the Youth Cinema Support Project sponsored by the General Establishment for Cinema.
Films from Spain, Syria, Palestine, Iran, Egypt and Mauritania were screened during the opening festival.
Assistant Minister of Culture Tawfiq Al-Imam underlined in a statement to SANA the importance of holding the festival at Damascus Citadel due to its historical value.
He stressed that this event is an opportunity for these young people to present their first experiences and see the products of their counterparts abroad, affirming the culture ministry’s support for all projects which serve youth and develop their talents.
On his part, General Director of the General Establishment for Cinema Murad Shaheen underscored that the festival contributes to supporting young people and providing them with the opportunity to prove themselves.
He urged everyone with a cinematic talent to make continuous effort to develop their capabilities because success in the seventh art requires continuous work and taking advantage of the opportunity to learn about the experiences of Arab and foreign students to enhance their expertise.
The festival’s artistic director, Hussam Wahab, reviewed the mechanism for accepting the works participating in the five-day festival by selecting 42 films out of the 70 submitted to the festival, of which 25 were Arab and foreign films and 12 Syrian.
Concluding the festival three prizes will be distributed including the official competition in addition to six prizes for the films of the General Establishment for Cinema and a special prize for students of the Technical Institute of Applied Arts.
Member of the festival jury director Muhannad Kulthum described the festival as a beautiful initiative to support students studying cinema arts in Syria and abroad, presenting their productions while they are still studying, and creating a space for competition between films belonging to different film schools.
A member of the festival jury Ammar Al-Hamed explained the technical criteria that the committee has adopted including directing, text, dialogue, performance and music, as important rules for evaluation in any film competition, pointing to the high level of the films participating in the Student Film Festival in terms of sensitivity and technology.
Rawaa Ghanam