Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Ministry of Culture on Sunday launched a competition titled “Light” to support Saudi films within the Quality of Life program, one of the programs to achieve under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

The contest, with a total prizes valued at SR40 million, aims to empower national talent in the filmmaking field through four tracks such as supporting script writing; developing them; supporting film production; in addition to supporting Saudis studying film making at international institutes and universities.

Applications from filmmakers, including screenwriters and directors wishing to participate, will be received via the online portal https://engage.moc.gov.sa/film during the three-month registration period from Sept. 29 to Dec. 29.

A jury will evaluate all entries before selecting the winning film projects in each of the competition’s four branches, which will be announced on Feb. 20, 2020, the ministry said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.

The ministry aims to organize the competition to support national talent specialized in the film industry, and to provide a funding platform and logistical support for the production of Saudi films in accordance with a professional working program that includes the stages before, during and after production of the film.

The competition will make available all the means of support in film making and create a productive movement in the local arena that will help establish a production infrastructure and clear career paths for film professionals from different disciplines in the film industry.

This competition, the largest of its kind in support of Saudi films, will support about 35 Saudi cinema projects — long and short films, which will be produced in the period following the competition, so as to become part of the nascent cinema industry in the Kingdom.

The electronic portal includes all the information needed for filmmakers, who wish to participate — from the method of registration to the terms and conditions related to each of the tracks of the competition.

The ministry recently announced the launch of folklore competition as part of its national project to document the Kingdom’s intangible rich heritage.

The competition in three branches, which carries prizes worth SR1.05 million, aims to count all aspects of both verbal and performance expressions, featuring various regions of the Kingdom with their diverse cultures.

The competition is planned with the objective of reviving folklore arts and motivating all members of society in the Kingdom to participate in recording the treasures of folklore in video or audio tracks in three specific areas: folk dance, folk music, folk tales and legends.