JEDDAH: The film Saleeg will be screened at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, which will be held in June. His selection confirms the rise of the Saudi film scene.

This annual event is the oldest and most prestigious animated film festival in the world. Founded in 1960, it brings together hundreds of amateurs and experts from the animation world to celebrate the styles and techniques used in this type of production.

Saleeg is a nine-minute, thirty-nine-second film shot in 2022 with puppets. The film was shot in Amsterdam (Netherlands) in the workshops of the animation company 5 AM Studios.

Subtitled in Urdu, Tigrinya and English, this film is a family comedy performed in Arabic (Saudi dialect). It will be previewed during the festival.

In the short film category entitled Perspectives, he competes with eighteen films produced in countries including China, Germany, Spain, India, Brazil, Turkey, Mexico and Canada.

In an interview with Arab News, Saudi filmmaker Afnan Bawyan explained that when she decided to pursue a film career, she was trying to find meaning in her life.

“One thing is certain: cinematography helps us to express ourselves and it brings together different languages ​​in a single production: telling a story, drawing in color, inventing characters, composing dialogues, designing time and space, drawing life and its concepts.

Ms. Bawyan is originally from Mecca and has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. In addition to the workshops organized by the Saudi Film Commission, which she attended, she learned the secrets of film art herself.

“The script took time. I wrote it between 2019 and 2021. I wrote twenty drafts. However, production was completed in ten months,” she says.

Films created using the stop-motion technique (stop-motion animation or step-by-step animation, an animation technique with real objects endowed with volumes, editor’s note) generally require more time than others. To make them, you actually have to build miniature sets and then design and make special puppets that can be controlled accordingly, the director explains.

“Every movement, no matter how insignificant, of the puppets is photographed. We do this to get twenty-four frames per second. This helps create fluid motion that makes scenes feel real,” says Bawyan.

Filming on Saleeg took 65 days, she says. As a result, it took longer to produce than most other Saudi feature films, which typically take between 17 and 45 days to shoot.

The film’s title is inspired by the traditional Hijazi dish from the city of Taif in the Mecca region.

“It’s a relevant title in my opinion, like the famous animated film Ratatouille. We don’t know the ingredients, but we want to taste them,” says Ms. Bawyan.

Many issues specific to Saudi society are addressed in this film. These include accelerated urbanization and the conflict between traditional and modern lifestyles, and in particular how older people experience these changes.

Ms. Bawyan tells us that she was inspired by her personal life and facts she really lived to create her characters and imagine the story. The main character is named after his mother Hajar. He faces many difficulties that force him to adapt. The story ends “great”.

The director hopes to conquer a wider audience by participating in this festival. His goals are also to learn more about animation and promote the culture of the kingdom. “Through this film, I will tell an authentic Saudi story on an international scale. This is how the stories of our country can be told.”

Saleeg is the first film that Ms. Bawyan wrote and directed herself. She previously worked on seven Saudi feature films; She was responsible for overseeing the script.

She also participated in the Red Sea Film Labs. This platform, reserved for filmmakers, authors and professionals in the sector, offers them many programs to help them carry out their projects. She won the 2021 Lab Award at the 1st Edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival, Jeddah.

Ms. Bawyan collaborated with director Maryam Khayat to produce the film Saleeg. “Thanks to the strategy developed by Maryam, the film took part in numerous international and local festivals,” she explains. “It amazes me that every time Saleeg enters a competition he receives a nomination, a mention or an award. This is my first short film and my first production. I didn’t expect it to be so successful. The only thing I did was develop, think and reconsider the story and the staging.

The film will also take part in the 9th edition of the Saudi Film Festival, which will be held in May.

The Saudi Film Commission responded on Twitter: “We are delighted to announce the film (Saleeg) – winner of the #Daw’_Film_Competition – premiering in the Perspectives category of the Best Animated Short Film Award at the #Annecy_International_Animation_Film_Festival. Much luck! #Film_Commission.”

This text is a translation of an article published on Arabnews.com