DHAHRAN: The King Abdulaziz World Cultural Center, or Ithra, announced 15 new film projects this week at the 10th Saudi Film Festival, which concludes on May 9.

The Saudi film funding program selected four features and 11 short films from 170 submissions over the past year.

The entries were submitted by emerging Saudi filmmakers vying to take their concepts from the drawing board to silver screens across the globe.

Since its inception six years ago, the IFP has played a vital role in supporting Saudi Arabia’s fast-growing film industry, by nurturing home-grown talent and fostering cinematic content through commissioning and co-funding opportunities.

The IFP seeks to highlight Saudi stories and discover new voices and creative storytellers with the ultimate goal of having their films showcased on national and international platforms.

After reviewing an unprecedented number of high-quality submissions, the jury ultimately settled on the 15 films that together comprise an array of unique untold stories presented by talented storytellers who tapped into Saudi Arabia’s rich culture for ideas.

IFP also introduced a range of initiatives aimed at providing platforms for film producers, advancing standards of excellence in filmmaking and empowering new talent in the region.

Additionally, they host numerous workshops and seminars in the field of representation and production, writing and directing, among others.

Since its first film in 2018, IFP has funded 20 titles and produced four which have been showcased at 95 film festivals across the globe, winning 34 awards.

This includes “Hajjan” which most recently won three awards at the Gulf Film Festival including best feature, best actor and best cinematography.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission has designated Diriyah’s JAX District, near Riyadh, as an industrial heritage site.

Its industrial days behind it, the district is now known as a creative arts hub in the heart of Diriyah, which is also where the UNESCO world heritage site of At-Turaif can be found.

The official recognition of its past role falls under the aims of the Industrial Heritage Preservation Program to protect and celebrate places of historical significance to the industrial sector in the Kingdom.

The designation highlights the district’s unique industrial architecture, officials said, and gives it a place alongside other sites in the Kingdom recognized for their roles in the evolution of industry in the country and its role in shaping Saudi society. Granting it heritage site status pays tribute to its history as a center for large-scale industrial projects and underscores its position as a national cultural landmark, they added.

JAX, named after the company that established the district in the 1970s, is home to a striking assembly of large warehouses that once formed an important industrial center in Riyadh region.

In the mid-2000s, commercial tenants started to move out and a group of graffiti artists began to use the walls of abandoned warehouses as their makeshift canvas. Young artists also established workshops and studios in the vacated spaces. In the years that followed, additional creative spaces, including art galleries, studios and cafes, were established, major cultural institutions opened, and office space was built for creative agencies that set up shop there.

JAX District now hosts numerous events, including the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, MDLBEAST XP Music Futures, the Hia Hub fashion, beauty and style conference, and light art festival Noor Riyadh. The Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art, the first museum of its kind in the Kingdom, is also located in the district.