The 7th edition of Sweidah Short Film Festival kicks off with the participation of 33 films from several Arab countries

The activities of the 7^th edition of the Sweidah Short Film Festival kicked off Sunday evening at the Culture Palace in the city of Sweidah , which bears the name of the international Egyptian film director Youssef Shaheen in recognition of his creative career and important experience in cinema.

The festival, which is held by the National Foundation for Film and Television Production in cooperation with the Sweida Directorate of Culture and the Sweidah Governorate and in coordination with the National Film Organization, includes 33 films from Egypt, Yemen, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, Iraq and Syria, selected from more than 150 nominated films.

The opening ceremony included a promo on one of the Egyptian satellite channel’s programs that hailed naming this year’s festival as “director Youssef Shaheen”. The promo introduced the festival as an annual cultural event that celebrates the participation of amateurs and professionals in making short films at the local, Arab and international levels, providing a glimpse into the director’s personal and artistic life, during which clips of his speeches in many international television interviews were screened.

The festival’s director Issam Al-Dahouk said in a statement to SANA correspondent that the festival is a civil cultural activity that aims to revitalize the artistic movement, support young talents, enrich the cultural and creative scene, and improve visual taste, and aims to spread love and joy among its fans.

The five-day festival will last until Thursday, the eighth of August, and will conclude with the announcement of the results of its competition for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor or Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, in addition to the special Jury Prize.

The opening of the festival screenings was attended by some officials, directors, artists, writers, intellectuals, and a crowd of interested people and young cinema audiences in the governorate and abroad.