Al-Ahsa Film Criticism Forum - organized by the Film Commission in Al-Ahsa Governorate, under the umbrella of the Ministry of Culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - is a platform for cultural and critical exchange in the region, stimulating critical and research movement in the film sector, and enriching cinematic knowledge.
The forum provides a unique opportunity to re-experience watching films in different styles, through screenings, discussion panels, seminars, and various workshops.
Search for the Critic: Experiences and Testimonies on the Practice of Criticism and the Search for One's Own Voice
Before one becomes a critic, one is a viewer and reader of criticism, and these first observations and readings form one’s first concept of what cinema is. The critic may remain loyal to this concept, or he may rebel against it once or several times. In this lecture, Essam Zakaria attempts to trace the most important stations and turning points in his concepts of cinema and criticism over nearly four decades, extending from the eighties of the last century until today. This individual history is largely intertwined with the history of Arab and international criticism, starting with being influenced by and apprenticed by major Egyptian and Arab critics, then moving on to different and varied foreign readings, sometimes divergent to the point of contradiction, arriving at the formation and refinement of a concept that integrates general history with personal history
The problem of the mediator between written criticism and visual criticism. Will the fastest survive?
Can written criticism keep up with the speed and impact of visual criticism? This session will take us through the concept of the medium and its development over time, then compare traditional written criticism and criticism on television screens, identifying the advantages and disadvantages of each, and presenting the development of the media and its potential impact on criticism. As well as analyzing previous or contemporary experiences that illustrate the competition between the two, and their balance between the speed of spread and the clarity of impact.
Unlike many other genres of cinema, fantasy films remain one of the most popular genres among audiences, guaranteeing long seasons on television and big box office revenues. In this presentation, writer and director Diaa Youssef, who received this year’s National Cultural Award, will talk about the importance of fantasy and how it can reflect who we are, represent us and bring us together.
Music and Cinema... When the Image Becomes Audible
Music intersects with cinema in the creative system that aims to create artistic enjoyment for the recipient. Although they are two different arts in foundations and structure, they unite in the cinematic work to embody human and social situations. How then can the visual image be audible with music, non-music and multiple forms of silence?
Film criticism in the age of social media
• How have the ways of expressing opinions and exchanging information changed with the development of social media?
• And what is the role of platforms in shaping audience opinions towards films and evaluating them?
• Also, discussing the challenges and opportunities regarding the presence of professional critics of film dialogues on platforms and providing in-depth and diverse analyses.
Mahmoud Mahdi
Content Creator