제3회 사우디영화제 24일 개막···이슬람 극단주의자 다룬 작품도 출품

* ‘아시아엔’ 해외연수 기자의 한글요약본과 원문을 함께 게재합니다.

[아시아엔=라드와 아시라프 기자·번역 최정아 기자] 제3회 사우디영화제(The Saudi film festival)가 24일 해안도시 담맘의 예술문화센터에서 개최됐다. 경쟁작 70여편이 출시된 가운데 열리는 이번 영화제는 사우디 왕가가 그동안 금기시해왔던 대중영화 개방분위기를 조성하기 위해 열렸다. 이번 행사는 사우디 문화예술부의 지원을 받아 개최됐다.

이번 영화제 총감독인 아흐메드 알물타는 “더욱 발전된 모습을 보이기 위해 노력했다”며 “올해 영화제는 2015년보다 작품성이 뛰어난 영화가 다수 출품됐다. 또한 이번 영화제엔 관객들의 편안한 영화관람을 위해 더욱 향상된 음향시설과 스크린이 설치됐다”고 말했다.

영화제의 하이라이트는 4분짜리 단편영화 <그들의 얼룩진 심장들>(Their Stained Hearts)이다. 이 작품은 가상의 한 박물관에서 이슬람사원을 테러하려고 한 테러리스트들의 이야기를 다룬 단편영화다.

이번 영화제에선 전쟁부터 건강, 인권 등 다양한 주제를 다룬 영화가 출품됐다. 또한 젊은 사우디 왕족들의 삶과 방향성을 주제로 한 포럼도 열릴 예정이다.\

알물타는 “정부의 지원없이는 개최되지 못했을 것”이라며 “이번 영화제를 계기로 정부가 대중영화를 더욱 개방적인 시선으로 바라보길 바란다”고 밝혔다.

Saudi film festival paving the way to cinema in Saudi Arabia

The third Saudi film festival is set to open Thursday 24th March, featuring 70 productions in competitions,?amid hopes the conservative kingdom may finally allow public cinemas. The festival which is sponsored by kingdom’s Society for Culture and Arts is modest compared to other film festivals in the regions as Saudi Arabia bans cinemas and other entertainment venues.

But organisers hope the event, which will see screenings take place at an arts and cultural centre in the Gulf coast city of Dammam, will help develop the country’s film industry. “We try to raise the standards, to make it better,” festival director Ahmed AlMulla told AFP.

It is the second consecutive annual festival after the event resumed last year following an absence of seven years.

AlMulla said this year’s festival has more entries than in 2015, and of a higher quality. They will be shown on a bigger screen with an improved sound system. One of the festival’s highlights is Rakan AlHarbi’s four-minute drama “Their Stained Hearts,” a short?film?that tells the story of a museum for “terrorists,” where a visitor engages in a conversation with the attacker of a mosque. This short film will be screened at the opening gala.

AlMulla said the films in competition address a range of topics, from extremism and war to health, human rights and social issues. Some of the films provide a forum for the kingdom’s youth who “raise their voice about how they are living,” he said.

The festival, which could not have gone ahead without government endorsement, has helped raise hopes that official attitudes to cinema might be changing, AlMulla said to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

One indicator came in an agreement to allow seven short films from the 2015 festival to be shown on the final day of the Riyadh International Book Fair last weekend.

Interest in filmmaking has continued to grow, with the 70 productions chosen for this year’s festival coming from 112 entries in the drama, documentary and student categories, which is a step up from last year’s 66 productions in competition from 104 entries. Many of the films will be shown for the first time and all the competitors are Saudi.

Festival winners receive grants to help them pursue their cinematic passions. While workshops on production, cinematography and acting, are to be conducted in conjunction with the festival, were deluged with applicants.