Saudi Film Wins Animation Award at Cannes Festival

The Saudi film "Worship and Draw Near," directed and produced by Thuraya Al-Shuhri and her daughter, visual artist Nabila Abu Al-Judail, won the animation award at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, with the award titled (Victory of Significant Animation). The film's concept is based on the original painting by Saudi artist Nabila Abu Al-Judail, titled (Worship and Draw Near), created on April 1, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The painting depicts the precautionary measures taken by the Saudi government to confront the pandemic and mitigate its impacts, showcasing a small number of cleaning workers who were able to pray at the Holy Mosque among more than 1.8 billion Muslims. The work on this film took nearly two years.