Tunisian Cinema Week opens in Damascus
Under the patronage of Dr. Lubana Mashouh, Minister of Culture, the Tunisian Cinema Week in Damascus started .This event is organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Tunisia in cooperation with the General Cinema Foundation.
The opening ceremony was launched yesterda
Dr. Lubana Mashouh, Minister of Culture referred to the long history of Syrian-Tunisian relations saying we are one people, brothers in history, and our ambitions and aspirations are the same.
She said that: “The organization of cultural festivals between the two countries and the Tunisian Cinema Week comes because they have proven their presence in the Arab and international world, and the first films opened in the Film Week carry a social message.
In his speech, the Tunisian ambassador, Muhammad Al-Mahdhabi, stressed the importance of the image and its impact on our lives, and said that the greatest evidence is what we see today in the occupied lands, where the image transmitted daily helped reveal the crimes of the Zionists.
The real launch of cinema was after Tunisia’s independence, which was marked by the launch of the first Arab-African film festival in 1966, and by works far from commercial cinema.
“It has revealed Arab and African talents and an artistic and technical staff that has become known for its high standard. We have chosen Tunisian films to be shown within the days for the Syrian audience to view, and they represent a simple sample of the interests of the new Tunisian cinema”. His Excellency said.
In his turn, Mr. Murad Shaheen said that cinematic cooperation between Tunisia and Syria is not new. Since the first preparations for launching the Damascus Film Festival several decades ago, it was planned to have a twinning between the Damascus Film Festivals and the Carthage Film Days, which resulted in a lot of cooperation and successful and distinguished festival sessions in both countries.
Artist Duraid Lahham stressed that Tunisians love culture and the arts, pointing out the importance of cinema days to learn about their culture and that they must continue throughout the year to learn about Syrian cinematic production.
Majdi Dhahri, in charge of the cultural and economic affairs and media in the Embassy of the Republic of Tunisia in Damascus said to Syriatimes that from the beginning of the opening of the Tunisian embassy in Syria last year, one of the most important priorities was to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Tunisia and Syria, especially in the cultural field.
“We believe that the field of cinema is one of the most important fields in which we can cooperate between Tunisia and Syria.
“Tunisian Embassy in cooperation with the General Film Corporation, succeeded in organizing this event due to the joint efforts.
The festival will last for three days, in which three films will be shown, and there will be other cultural events” Majdi Dhahri added.
Reported by : Nada Haj Khidr