Jamil al-Jadabi (almotamar.net) - SANA'A- On Saturday, the international al-Qasabah Film Festival activities began in Ram Allah city, where a number of Arab states will present 65 films in 106 theaters in Ram Allah, Lebanon, France, Jordan, and German.
Almotamar.net came to know from well-informed sources at the ministry of culture that Yemen will participate in the festival- which is the largest Palestinian festival- with "A New Day in Old Sana'a" film. Six Arab films will vie for the People's Honorary Award. These films are Free Times, Yaqubian Building (from Egypt), Bustah (Lebanon), Khiskhash (Tunis), Under the Ceil (Syria), and Dreams (Iraq).
The festival is organized by al-Qasabah theatre in cooperation with some Palestinian foundations.
Reuters quoted the information officer of the festival Mohammed al-Shaib as saying the festival will show movies from Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Holland, Turkey, and Brazil.
This came one day after the real competition for the "Favorite Film" Award, which was snatched by A New Day in Old Sana'a.
In this achingly romantic tale, Tariq, the handsome young son of a wealthy and highly respected aristocrat, is about to marry the naive Bilquis, eldest daughter of a prominent and powerful judge. Although Tariq and Bilquis have never met, the match seems ideal and both families are overjoyed. But when Tariq is wandering the streets late one night, he spots a beautiful young woman wearing the lovely white dress he’d sent his fiancée as a gift. He falls madly in love with her, assuming she is his betrothed. But things are not quite what they seem and soon the young groom finds himself having to make the devastating choice between following his heart and protecting his family’s honor. Hailed as the first feature from Yemen, this breathtaking film uses the ancient city of Sana’a as its exquisite setting.