As filmmaking grows and becomes more accessible to everyone, film criticism remains the craft of a select few. It demands precision — the kind a surgeon’s scalpel requires. A critic who misreads a film distorts its essence, and one who indulges in excessive style loses its meaning. From this idea comes the International Film Criticism Conference — a new gateway for Saudi filmmakers and critics, giving criticism its rightful place within the film industry as a tool of awareness that keeps the market in balance.
The Conference’s Position in the Saudi Film Industry
The International Film Criticism Conference aligns with the Saudi Film Commission’s broader vision to build a complete and sustainable film industry. Over recent years, specialized events such as Film Confex have helped pave the way by connecting investors and filmmakers to discuss development and investment opportunities. The Criticism Conference, however, focuses on a different mission — to build an organized critical discourse that grows with the market and gives Saudi cinema the cultural depth it deserves.
“Cinema: The Art of Space" — Reimagining the Image
The third edition of the conference carried the theme “Cinema: The Art of Space." The idea goes beyond geography to explore deeper philosophical and aesthetic meanings. Space has never been just a backdrop — it is a narrative force that reflects human memory and social and psychological change. Through its rich sessions, the conference explored how geography becomes identity, and how cities and villages in cinema reflect humanity’s ongoing search for self-understanding.
The event hosted leading critics, scholars, and filmmakers from Saudi Arabia, the Arab world, and Europe — all revisiting the concept of space from a perspective that extends beyond the frame of the camera.
Completing, Not Competing with Festivals
In the Saudi film landscape, the conference complements rather than competes with festivals. The Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah represents the country’s cinematic face to the world, focusing on screenings, co-productions, and international partnerships. The Saudi Film Festival in Dhahran nurtures local talent and documents the national cinematic experience within a warm cultural setting.
The Film Criticism Conference adds the third dimension to this structure: critique and analysis. It’s the space where films are discussed after being shown, where narrative and aesthetic forms are deconstructed, and where filmmakers find room for dialogue and learning. Together, these platforms create a balanced ecosystem that blends creativity, economy, and knowledge — moving the Saudi film scene toward maturity and self-awareness.
The Dilemma of the Arab Critic
This year’s edition opened with a tribute to Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio, one of the key figures in modern European cinema — a gesture that gave the conference a global tone and the weight it deserves. Bellocchio’s films, deeply engaged with themes of power, memory, and the human condition, reflect the conference’s alignment with intellect over spectacle.
Still, this symbolic opening invites a quiet question: where is the Arab critic’s voice in these international moments? While global icons are honored, the Arab critical voice still seeks platforms that listen, recognize, and prioritize it as part of global cinematic dialogue. The issue isn’t the tribute to Bellocchio, but the absence of an equivalent Arab critical presence — especially at the opening of an international conference within a promising market like Saudi cinema.
Perhaps real global reach lies in our ability to produce Arab critical thought that engages without imitation, contributing to a sustainable cinematic culture that speaks its own language with confidence and insight.
The Conference as a Sustainable Annual Event
The International Film Criticism Conference should be seen as an intellectual institution — one that aims to embed the culture of criticism as an essential part of the industry itself. Just as studios, institutes, and festivals are built, so too must the language that interprets and analyzes the image.
In this sense, the conference represents a rare initiative in the Arab world — linking art as an industry with thought as a responsibility, all in service of the national cinematic scene.
As it continues to grow in the coming years, it will become a living archive of Saudi film criticism — rereading Saudi cinema through its cultural and human context and giving the cinematic landscape another vital voice beyond the camera: the voice of ideas.