The third edition of the Bahrain Film Festival was launched yesterday, Thursday, under the slogan “Celebrating the Art of Filmmaking,” featuring the participation of 117 short Arab films. The festival, organized by the Bahrain Cinema Club, is divided into four competitions: Bahraini films, short narrative films, documentary films, and animation films.
In addition to continuous film screenings until October 9, the festival will organize a series of training workshops, discussions, and seminars featuring stars and creators of the seventh art from within the Kingdom of Bahrain and beyond. Among the notable activities is a discussion session on October 7 titled “Towards a Major Arab Cinema Market,” featuring Bahraini director Bassam Al-Dawadi, Bahraini actress Maryam Zaman, Jordanian actor Iyad Nassar, and Egyptian director Marcus Adel.
On the same evening, Kuwaiti film critic Abdul Sattar Naji will speak in a seminar titled "The Critic and the Festivals." On October 8, Emirati director Nawaf Al Janahi will conduct a workshop titled "Why We Need Short Films," followed by a training workshop by Bahraini lawyer Faten Al Haddad titled "Protecting Your Rights in the Film Industry," and a seminar by director Ahmed Malallah, founder and director of the Saudi Film Festival, titled "Poetic Cinema."
