Film festival offers Saudis a glimpse into Asian culture

Saudi Arabian audiences get a glimpse into Asian culture and society through the 11th Asian Film Festival that ends on February 11.

Eight Asian films are screened in Jeddah with the concluding Japanese film ‘The Survival Family’ directed by Shinobu Yaguchi.

“This year’s film festival is launching at an even more meaningful time as the Kingdom anticipates the reopening of cinema in just a few months,” said Acting Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Jeddah H. E. Mr. Youn Ho Kang during the screening of a Korean independent film Sunday night.

“I hope the audiences in the Kingdom will also get to enjoy the internationally acclaimed Korean cinema in coming years,” he added.

Films like King of Jokgu, an independent experimental comedy showing 21st Korean society, have been selected in a specific criterion in efforts to raise awareness and bridge links between Saudis and Asians.

Since its first inauguration in 2008, the Asian Film Festival has been a window to the diversity and beauty of Asian culture through cinema.

Through initiatives such as the film festival, the Asian Consuls General Club (ACGC) aims to enrich the vision of mutual understanding and cultural awareness for a more vibrant society.

Thirteen member countries are participating in the ACGC, namely Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.