Dr. Wajdan Al-Aqab, President of the Kuwait Environment Protection Society and Secretary-General of the General Secretariat for Environment and Sustainable Development at the General Union of Arab Producers at the League of Arab States, participated in the 13th International Environmental Film Festival, organized by the Talassemtane Association for Environment and Development in Chefchaouen, Kingdom of Morocco, at her invitation to chair the jury of the “Official International Competition for Amateur Films and the Competition for Educational Institutions Films.”.
She added that “the festival is an annual tradition organized by the Talassemtane Association for Environment and Development, and aims to raise public awareness of the environmental challenges facing the world, and promote sustainable solutions to protect the planet through cinema, through screenings of participating films, organizing seminars, and meetings with experts in cinema and the environment, thus creating a space for exchanging ideas and committing to environmental issues,” noting that “the program of the current session of the festival presented a diverse selection of films that address environmental issues in their various dimensions.
The head of the jury for the official international competition for amateur and educational institution films stated, “The films that reached the final stage were distributed as follows: 8 short amateur films and 6 films for the educational institution competition.”.
For his part, Dr. Mohammed Sattar, the festival director, praised Dr. Wajdan Al-Aqab’s management of the jury for the official international competition for amateur films and educational institutions“ films, who was chosen for her extensive experience in environmental media and years of distinguished production, adding that “the selected films dealt with environmental issues and represent 17 countries, namely: Morocco, France, Germany, Mexico, the United States of America, China, Korea, Singapore, Italy, Pakistan, India, Ireland, Canada, South Africa, the Sultanate of Oman, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Australia.”.
Dr. Mohammed Sattar explained that “the jury of the International Competition for Amateur Films and Educational Institutions, chaired by Dr. Wajdan Al-Aqab, included in its membership the Moroccan producer and director and head of the Moroccan Chamber of Film Producers, Al-Hussein Hanin, and the Omani director and member of the Board of Directors of the Omani Cinema Association, Fahd Al-Maimani.” He praised the members of the committee and their professionalism in the judging stages, which were carried out professionally, benefiting from their distinguished experiences in this regard. He announced that 26 films reached the final stage of the 13th International Environmental Film Festival, which was held under the slogan “Green Cinema for a Healthy and Sustainable Climate.”.
Dr. Wajdan Al-Aqab concluded by noting that “the award for Best Amateur Film went to “Guosheng – Fighting Destiny,” by Chinese director Shaguan Miao. The film highlights a story of struggle and how a community can cooperate to overcome difficult environmental challenges. It carries the dream of transforming a rocky mountain into a fruit orchard. The award for Educational Institutions Films was given to ”Golden Hands,’ by Moroccan director Kamal Ousaid. The film creatively addressed the impact of pollution resulting from neglect, showcasing excellent direction, cinematography, and performances by the children. The jury also recommended awarding certificates of appreciation to the five finalists to encourage the continuation of such films produced by students in educational institutions.”.
