The Abha edition of the Film Criticism Forum, organized by the Film Commission under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, marks the first stop of the 2025 International Film Criticism Conference. The forum serves as a platform for cinematic research and criticism, enriching the cultural landscape with intellectual and creative insight into how architecture can inspire the cinematic image.
Its program features film screenings, panel discussions, specialized case studies, and masterclasses led by prominent local and international experts, offering content that reimagines the role of architecture within the cinematic scene.
This year's edition will take place at Al-Muftaha Village in Abha providing a window for creative dialogue and shedding light on the intersections between architecture and cinema.
A Journey into the Mind of Onsi Abou Seif
Onsi Abou Seif is not merely a production designer; he is a creator of worlds and cities that never existed, an architect of alleyways through which characters have walked until they felt as though they belonged to a reality we know. Daoud Abdel Sayed, Mohamed Khan, Sherif Arafa, Marwan Hamed, and others. A protégé of Shadi Abdel Salam, he has collaborated with some of Egypt's most prominent filmmakers, including Youssef Chahine, From building an entire neighborhood in El-Kit Kat to reconstructing a whole district in Ibrahim El-Abyad, his work has marked defining moments in shaping cinema's visual language.
In this session, we return to where the story begins: behind the camera. We delve into Onsi Abou Seif's journey to explore how production design can serve as a critical lens for reading a film and as a narrative element that reshapes meaning and expands the scope of vision.
Moderator
Ahmed Al-Ayyad
Editor-in-Chief of Fasllah Cinematic Platform
Speaker
Onsi Abou Seif
Egyptian Production Designer
August 21, 2025
Abha – Al-Muftaha Village
4:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Documentary Cinema and the History of Saudi Architecture
'Amaroha' is a research program that reimagines the transformations of Saudi architecture following the oil boom, where spaces become visual storytellers of people's lives and memories.
Across eight episodes, the program presents these transformations from a fresh visual perspective—bridging past and present while moving away from conventional imagery.
In this session, director Ali Al-Sumain presents 'Amaroha' as a case study that fuses cinema with architectural history, revealing how space can become a medium for storytelling and a means of reconstructing cultural memory.
Moderator
Dr. Mohammed Al-Bashir
Writer, Critic, and Author
Speaker
Ali Al-Sumayin
Director, Producer, and Writer
August 21, 2025
Abha – Al-Muftaha Village
4:00 PM – 10:00 PM
A Saudi drama film produced in 2024. The story takes place during the Second Gulf War in 1990, portraying the life of a Bedouin family living in the desert who face immense challenges after their daughter contracts an infectious disease.
Moderator
Dr. Ali Zaalah
Lecturer in Literature, Criticism, and Cultural Studies
Speaker
Abdulaziz Alshlahei
Film Director
August 21, 2025
Abha – Al-Muftaha Village
4:00 PM – 10:00 PM
In cinema, architecture is not merely a backdrop for events; it holds a vivid presence that reshapes memory and grants the image a human depth that transcends the scene.
Following the film screening, this masterclass with director Abderrahmane Sissako opens a window into his directorial vision, sharing his journey with place as a narrative tool, and exploring how architecture becomes, in his work, a meeting point between image and identity.
Speaker
Dr. Ali Zaalah
Lecturer in Literature, Criticism, and Cultural Studies
Moderator
Abdulaziz Alshlahei
Film Director
August 21, 2025
Abha – Al-Muftaha Village
4:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Dr. Mohammed Al-Bashir
Writer, Critic, and Author
Holds a PhD in literary criticism and serves as the Head of the Cultural Program at the Saudi Society for Culture and Arts in Al-Ahsa. He has authored numerous books and critical studies in narrative literature, in addition to publishing articles in Saudi and Gulf literary magazines.
Ali Al-Sumayin
Director, Producer, and Writer
A Saudi director, producer, and cinematographer known for his exceptional ability to capture the desert and transform it into a living visual element. He also works as a director of pho tography and lighting, with his visual vision forming an inte gral part of the cinematic language of films. He is recognized as one of the prominent figures in the Saudi film scene.
Ahmed Al-Ayyad
Editor-in-Chief of Fasllah Cinematic Platform
A Saudi journalist and President of the Saudi Film Critics Association, as well as a member of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of “Fasllah” Cinematic Platform, with extensive contributions in jury panels, festival programming, and coverage of major international film events.
Onsi Abou Seif
Egyptian Production Designer
An Egyptian production designer who left his mark on some of the most iconic Egyptian films, including “El-Kit Kat” and “Al exandria Again and Forever”. He contributed to designing the Arab world scenes in the international film “Malcolm X”. He has received multiple awards from the Ministry of Culture and was a creative partner to director Daoud Abdel Sayed in shaping a distinctive visual language for Egyptian cinema.
Dr. Ali Zaalah
Lecturer in Literature, Criticism, and Cultural Studies
A Saudi writer, researcher, and media figure from Jazan, hold ing a PhD in literature and criticism. He has held notable cul tural positions, including President of the Jazan Society for Culture and Arts and member of the Board of Directors at the Jazan Literary Club. He has published several works and re ceived multiple awards in short story writing.
Abdulaziz Alshlahei
Film Director
A prominent director, known for his distinguished films such as “Zero Distance” and “Hobal”. His directing style is charac terized by blending human depth with local identity, making him one of the influential figures in the development of modern Saudi cinema.