Introduction to Saudi Cinema
At a time when the Saudi comedy "Youth Album 2" maintains the Saudi cash register and exceeds more than 2.77 million Riyals, the eleventh session of the Saudi Film Festival is witnessing a remarkable demand for Saudi comic shows. This growth in demand is a testament to the increasing popularity of Saudi cinema, particularly among young people.
The Rise of Comic Films
The Saudi Film Festival has seen an intensive public presence in the shows of two comic films, "Ambulance" and "Fakhr al-Suwaidi". The exhibition rooms were filled, and fans were standing in long lines, mostly young people and teenagers, the category to which the film "Youth of the Bomb 2" aimed at. This clearly reflects the orientation of the local audience towards comedy. The participant between these three films on different artistic levels is that it does not deal with comedy as a border, but rather represents them as a language to communicate with the audience and coexist with their reality and their daily paradoxes.
"Ambulance" – A Dangerous Adventure
The movie "Ambulance", directed by Kulin Tououj, starring Ibrahim Al-Hajjaj, Muhammad Al-Qahtani, Faisal Al-Doukhi, Fahd Al-Batiriri, Nermin Mohsen, Mutlaq Matar, Muhannad Al-Saleh, Saeed Saleh, Hassan Asiri, Latifa Al-Majran, and other stars, deals with the story of two young paramedics. The first is reckless, and the second is serious, both of whom are chased by a criminal in a suspicious manner. They try to escape, but they are in a comic trouble, with which the attendees in the festival hall interact with loud laughter and applause throughout the duration of the film. The film managed to achieve fourth place in the list of Saudi Box Office in its first week, with revenues exceeding 1.8 million riyals.
"Fakhr Al-Suwaidi" – School Comedy
The film "Fakhr Al-Suwaidi", which takes place in a secondary school for boys in the Al-Suwaidi district of Riyadh, deals with the history of the headmaster "Shaheen" (Fahd Al-Mutairi), who invents a new classroom for students on behalf of the legal class. The film exposes many problems with his brother, the owner of the school, as well as the students and teachers who try to deviate from the stem to meet the requirements of the headmaster "Shaheen". The film received a great public presence, and the audience interacted with laughter about the comic situations in which the film is filled. It is expected to be shown in Saudi cinemas on May 8.
Cast and Crew
"Fakhr Al-Suwaidi" includes a group of actors, headed by Fahd Al-Mutairi, Faisal Al-Ahmari, Saeed Al-Qahtani, Yazid Al-Mousa, Yassin Ghazawi, Salah Al-Dali, in addition to Muhammad Ali, Muhannad Al-Saleh Ahmed, Osama Saleh, Nayef Al-Fawaz, Abdul Aziz Al-Muaddal, and Osama Al-Qass. The film is directed by Yazid Al-Mousa, Hisham Fathi, Abdullah Bambour, and Osama Saleh.
Conclusion
In general, the Saudi Film Festival, organized by the "Film Society" in cooperation with the King Abdulaziz International Cultural Center (Ithra) and the support of the film authority, has attracted a new segment of the youth category that is interested in comic films. The festival’s activities will continue until next Wednesday at the Ithra theater, with a major ceremony and a number of profit films on several screens.
