Curtain up on Saudi Film Night screenings
Saudi filmmaker Aymen Khoja poses with Chinese movie buffs.
The Shanghai stop of the Saudi Film Nights was successfully held at the Shanghai Film Art Center on Friday, attracting Saudi filmmaker Aymen Khoja and movie buffs.
The exhibition of movies from Saudi Arabia is also a platform for dialogues that span regions, languages, and cultures.
Two excellent Saudi films — comedy "Il Signore" and animated stop-motion short "Saleeg" were screened at the center. After the film screenings, Aymen Khoja, director of "Il Signore," spoke about creation of the film.
On his first visit to China, Khoja also explored more possibilities to exchange and cooperate with Chinese film professionals in the future.
Aymen Khoja speaks about the creation of the feature film "Il Signore."
Aymen Khoja signs tickets for Chinese movie buffs.
"Il Signore" is a light-hearted story of a Saudi engineer who pretends to be an Italian expert to find work at a major company. The film enables Chinese audiences to quickly understand the real life and workplace in Saudi Arabia, and experience the unique charm of Saudi cinema.
Director Khoja said that to present a comedic effect in this film, they introduced a new character and new twists and surprises to the plot every five to eight minutes.
According to Qian Feng, an organizer of the film event, they will help to bring the Saudi Film Nights to more cities in China.
Next year, film screenings of Chinese movies will also be held in Saudi Arabia to foster cooperation between film industries in both countries.
