On Tuesday, the Sabha Days Festival for short films kicked off at the public theater in Sabha city under the supervision of Sabha’s Cinema, Theater and Arts Association.
Thirty short films take part in the festival from different countries – Libya, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Iraqi Kurdistan, Tunisia, Morocco, Spain and the US.
The festival was launched by an opening Syrian short film called Roznama (Calendar), directed by Nadine Tahseen Bik, which was attended by a number of film directors and filmmakers in Libya as well as a number of writers, authors and members of the UNESCO library in Sabha.
The Chairman of the festival’s display of films, director Abdullah Al-Zarrouq, told the press that the judges of the short films have already put some fixed artistic and dramatic standards to accept the now-participating films. He added that the most important standard was that the film must not be produced before 2014.
Relatedly, the Chairman of Sabha’s Cinema, Theater and Arts Association, Mutasim Al-Alwani, said that the festival will include a forum about the history of cinema in Libya and the most significant stages it went through.
He also added that there will be a training workshop about the filmmaking industry and cinematography, outlining that the days of the festival strips Sabha off the archetypical image shown in the media.
“The Sabha Days Festival takes place in the south for the first time. It is going to last until May 12.” Al-Alwani indicated.
