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RIYADH: Saudi filmmaker Mujtaba Saeed’s relationship with Makkah began at an early age. He fondly recalls family journeys to the vibrant city for Umrah or Hajj, surrounded by people of all ethnicities and nationalities who gathered at the holy place for one common purpose.
He paints a picture of childhood road trips across the multi-toned sand dunes of Saudi Arabia as buses passed by carrying strangers from all walks of life, all chanting the same prayer in a united voice.
Saeed remembers the journeys from his childhood home in the city of Saihat, in the Eastern Province, to the Hijaz region in the west of the country as being full of excitement and marvel.
at the Gulf Radio and Television Festival, which took place in Bahrain. (Supplied)
“It was filled with adventure,” he told Arab News. “From a child’s perspective, it was a long trip that never ends. My relationship with Makkah was the idea of traveling to a place.”
The screenwriter and director is currently developing a script that draws heavily on his relationship with the holy city, which was a big part of his life until he moved to Germany as a young adult to continue his education.
“After that, I didn’t visit (Makkah) for a while but the memories remained,” he said. “I consider (the memories) things that open up questions related to time, connection and the act of travel … I think it’s similar to any Saudi’s relationship to Makkah.”
Mujtaba Saeed remembers the journeys from his childhood home in the city of Saihat, in the Eastern Province, to the Hijaz region in the west of the country as being full of excitement and marvel. Saeed, who now splits his time between residences in Berlin and Saudi Arabia, said these emotions and his experiences with the holy city are what inspired his latest script.
He added that the city is a focus for the many individuals and families who visit it as pilgrims throughout their lives.
“I think I grew up with these visuals and they’re filled with emotions; Makkah is a place filled with emotions for me,” he explained.
Saeed, who now splits his time between residences in Berlin and Saudi Arabia, said these emotions and his experiences with the holy city are what inspired his latest script. It is still a work in progress but he is determined to share its story not only with fellow Saudis but audiences around the world.
“It’s up to everyone to try to engage and integrate with different cultures,” he said. “I think what’s inside us as humans and what motivates us as people is all one.”
The script reflects Saeed’s own life as it revolves around two cities: Makkah and Berlin. Though there are many differences between them there are also similarities, not least a transient nature, with people constantly coming and going: Pilgrims in Makkah, and tourists and students in Berlin.
“These two places are directions (Qiblatan) for many people in the world, so I’m trying to search for the contrasts between the two and how that contrast affects the characters,” he said.
“For me, it’s also really important to see how this young city of Berlin opens up questions for anyone who visits it … questions that relate to our relationships with our bodies, and our connection to ourselves and others.”
Saeed said the search for answers to these questions by the characters in the story creates the conflict that is essential in any drama.
He added that his aim with the script is to explore the contrast between notions relating to the traditional values of “old society” and the modern, globalized world. More importantly, he said, it considers whether diverse groups of individuals, each with their own dynamic and colorful backgrounds, can coexist safely in one place.
“In Makkah, this equation exists,” said Saeed. “From the time I left to study in Germany and then worked there, there was care in a city that was also global. But still, there remains the important question: How can you amplify other voices there?”
He said he feels a responsibility as an artist to amplify voices that often go unheard. As the development of arts and entertainment in the Kingdom continues, as part of which the country aims to become a regional hub for cinema, filmmaking and broader forms of cultural exchange, he believes the growth of Saudi cinema offers an ideal opportunity to achieve that goal.
“At this stage of national renaissance, where we are giving a voice to Saudi cinema, we need, in addition to the work that the Saudi film commission does to develop regulated creations, to have an interest in more collaborative efforts, whether that’s with Europe, India, or other counties,” Saeed said.
“I think cinema will become our language — and it’s a universal language — in the coming years.
“The importance of the European Film Festival in Riyadh is something we can’t argue about and I think it’s important to focus on presenting diverse cinematic content.”
The inaugural EFF, which aimed to promote European cinema and encourage the building of contacts between filmmakers in Europe and Saudi Arabia, took place between June 15 and 22. Saeed believes it was important in terms of helping to bridge cultural gaps and encouraging ongoing communication.
“I don’t think the festival presented films that are new to this audience, because the Saudi audience greatly follows (cinema), but it’s important for European filmmakers to meet this audience,” he said.
Saeed’s other current projects include a screenplay titled “Gharaq,” which translates as “Drowning,” which in June won the Best Feature Film Script award at the 2022 Saudi Film Festival. Saeed said that it explores the duality of forgiveness and revenge, adding: “A person can’t be free unless he forgives.”
The film is prepping for production, with filming due to take place in the east of the Kingdom. He is hopeful it will be a Saudi-German co-production.
Saeed’s 2021 film “Zawal” won a Golden Palm award for Best Short Film at the Saudi Film Festival, and a Golden Sail award at the Gulf Radio and Television Festival, which took place in Bahrain between June 21 and 23. It tells the story of an 8-year-old boy who lives with his mother in a refugee camp under quarantine following the outbreak of a mystery pandemic.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Meteorology has warned that severe weather would continue until Friday with torrential rains that could be accompanied by hail, fog with low visibility, and high waves along the coast.
“Thunderstorms will continue in most areas in the Kingdom starting from Sunday, Jan. 1 to Friday, Jan. 6, 2023,” the center tweeted.
The NCM raised an alert, forecasting heavy rains in Makkah, Madinah and the Northern Borders region starting from Sunday evening. In-person classes remain suspended on Monday and Tuesday in all schools in Makkah, Jeddah and Rabigh.
In its daily report on Monday, the NCM said: “Moderate and torrential thundershowers accompanied by active winds are forecast to fall on some parts of the Asir, Baha, Makkah and Madinah regions, extending to some parts of the Qassim, Hail, Tabuk, Northern Borders and Jouf regions.”
Skies will be partly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms accompanied by active winds in some parts of Riyadh and the Eastern Provine, as well as some parts of the Najran and Jizan regions, the NCM added.
The center also reported that the heights of the Tabuk region and the northern parts of the Kingdom could witness snowfall.
Urging residents to be cautious amid severe weather, the Civil Defense Directorate in Riyadh sent a message on Monday saying the region could witness heavy rains from Sunday to Wednesday.
“The Civil Defense calls on everyone to take precautions, abide by its instructions and stay away from valleys, torrents, dams, water pools, lampposts and electric control rooms. Your cooperation is our support, and your safety is our goal,” it added.
RIYADH: The General Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques mobilized equipment and manpower to deal with wet weather conditions at the Grand Mosque in Makkah on Monday.
The Mataf, prayer areas, entrances, and exits have been prepared to deal with rainfall, and efforts have been intensified to ensure that rain water is drained away and floors dried to ensure the safety of worshippers and pilgrims while they perform their rituals.
Rain is seen as a sign of mercy in Islam.
Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Meteorology has warned that severe weather would continue until Friday with torrential rains that could be accompanied by hail, fog with low visibility, and high waves along the coast.
“Thunderstorms will continue in most areas in the Kingdom starting from Sunday, Jan. 1 to Friday, Jan. 6, 2023,” the center tweeted.
The NCM raised an alert, forecasting heavy rains in Makkah, Madinah and the Northern Borders region starting from Sunday evening. In-person classes remain suspended on Monday and Tuesday in all schools in Makkah, Jeddah and Rabigh.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) ended 2022 on a high note with its continued humanitarian work for disadvantaged individuals across the world.
At the Waalan camp in Hajjah governorate of Yemen, KSRelief provided medical consultations and treatment for 242 people with various health conditions while 121 patients were prescribed free medicine.
In Sudan, 5,774 individuals benefited from the 1,100 food baskets in the past week.
The emergency food aid provided by the Kingdom targeted residents who were badly hit or displaced by the recent floods in the country.
Meanwhile, more than 2,050 Syrian and Palestinian refugees and the most-needy families from the host community in Lebanon received winter clothing as part of the ‘Kanaf 2022’ project of the Kingdom, through KSRelief.
RIYADH:On behalf of King Salman, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan participated on Sunday in the inauguration and swearing-in ceremony of Brazil’s President Lula da Silva.
Prince Faisal conveyed the congratulations and greetings of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the president and their wishes of progress and prosperity for the Brazilian government and people.
The foreign minister arrived in Brazil on Saturday and was received by Faisal Ghulam, the Saudi ambassador to Brazil, and the director general of the Middle East department of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sidney Romero.
RIYADH: Jazan showcased its most famous attractions here recently for the media, as part of its bid to attract more tourists and investment, including for its rapidly expanding coffee industry.
An Arab News team was on the Flynas A320neo aircraft bearing the logo “Saudi Coffee Year 2022” that landed at King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Airport in Jazan for the four-day tour.
The trip, organized by the Khieer Saudi Arabia endowment body, saw journalists taken to visit coffee farms in the Faifa and Bani Malik areas.
The Arab News team went to Ahmed Al-Malki’s farm where he and his family use coffee beans to make various products.
“We are producing many things, such as coffee soap, coffee oil, lip balm, and scrub, and in the future … we are (also) planning to produce coffee bean sugar,” Al-Malki said.
The tour forms part of Flynas’ efforts to promote sustainable economic development, and boost the nation’s tourism industry. In particular, the airline is promoting the world-famous Saudi Khawlani coffee on boarding passes and passenger registration signs at airports, and offering customers free cups of the brew on flights until the end of the year.
“Coffee oil is produced for the first time in Saudi Arabia here, and it is extracted from solid coffee fruits. The extraction period takes two months. It is considered one of the most expensive oils in the world. Among its benefits are relieving skin diseases, thickening hair, relieving cellulite, and others,” he said.
Dafer Al-Fahad, director general of Jazan Mountains Development Authority, told Arab News: “Jazan Province has many comparative advantages. The six mountainous governorates are full of investment opportunities especially in agriculture, agritourism, wellness tourism and heritage sites.”
“At the beginning of this year, we signed an MoU with Saudi Aramco to establish a state-of-the-art Saudi Coffee Center and currently, we are in discussions with the Saudi Coffee Company, a subsidiary of the PIF (Public Investment Fund), to set up the Saudi Coffee Academy, and with the Ministry of Culture to establish a Saudi Coffee Museum.”
Jazan province has many comparative advantages. The six mountainous governorates are full of investment opportunities especially in agriculture, agritourism, wellness tourism and heritage sites.
Dafer Al-Fahad, Director general of Jazan Mountains Development Authority
“In the past few years, we have distributed over 1 million coffee seedlings to all farmers, and we continue supporting initiatives by Saudi Aramco and MEWA (Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture) to serve coffee farmers in and outside the province of Jazan. We also provide training, guidance, and contemporary farming techniques to ensure that all farming lands in the region are fully utilized and strategic objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision (2030) are met.”
The tour forms part of Flynas’ efforts to promote sustainable economic development, and boost the nation’s tourism industry. In particular, the airline is promoting the world-famous Saudi Khawlani coffee on boarding passes and passenger registration signs at airports, and offering customers free cups of the brew on flights until the end of the year.
The trip was supported by Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Ali Al-Sane, chairman of the board of directors of the Mohammed Al-Ali Al-Sane Foundation, which supports the Khieer Saudi Arabia endowment body. The Hayyak Company was an organizing partner, and Ayman Al-Suhayyan and Partners Company a legal partner.