beth: seventh year in a row, Arab Cinema Center (ACC) returns to the 79th edition of Venice International Film Festival with a wide range of activities. This year’s activities are launched in collaboration with 13 partners (institutions, companies and film festivals) and include film screenings, awards ceremonies and panel discussions. The partners who will join ACC at the Venice International Film Festival are: (in alphabetical order) Arab Radio & Television (ART) (Saudi Arabia), Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) (Egypt), El Gouna Film Festival (Egypt), Film Clinic (Egypt), IEFTA (Monaco), Lagoonie Film Production (Egypt), MAD Solutions (Egypt, UAE, Lisbon) and its two affiliated companies (MAD Celebrity and MAD Distribution), Malmo Arab Film Festival (Sweden), NEOM (Saudi Arabia), The Film Verdict (USA) and The Imaginarium Films (Jordan). As part of Venice Production Bridge, a platform hosting experts and film professionals from all over the world through screenings, panel discussions and meetings, a panel discussion titled “ Saudi Arabia: A New Key Player” is held between Wayne Borg (Managing Director, Media, Entertainment and Culture, NEOM), Filipe Martin Gomes (Head of Innovation Programs King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, Ithra ), Charlene Deleon-Jones (Executive Director, Film AlUla), Abduljalil AlNasser (General Manager of Sector Development & Investment Attraction, Saudi Arabia Film Commission), Shivani Pandya (Managing Director, Red Sea International Film Festival). The discussion is moderated by Italian journalist Nick Vivarelli, Variety’s Middle East correspondent. Moreover, shahid and OSN, platforms will participate in the “VOD MARKET DAY: MEET THE STREAMERS” event, part of the Venice Bridge activities. 8 Arab Films Competing at Venice: OUR TIES (LES MIENS)| Main Competition| Roschdy Zem| Morocco FOR MY COUNTRY| Orizzonti Competition| Rachid Hami| Algeria NEZOUH| Orizzonti Extra Competition| Soudade Kaadan| Syria (Starring Kinda Alloush, Samer Al Masri and distributed in the Arab world by MAD Distribution) HANGING GARDENS| Orizzonti Extra Competition| Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji| Iraq ( Distributed in the Arab world by Film Clinic Indie Distribution) MY GIRL FRIEND| Orizzanti Short Film Competition| Kawthar Younis| Egypt DIRTY, DIFFICULT, DANGEROUS| Giornate degli Autori (Opening Film)| Wissam Charaf| Lebanon (Distributed in the Arab world by MAD Distribution) THE LAST QUEEN| Giornate degli Autori| Adila Bendimerad, Damien Ounouri| Algeria (Distributed in the Arab world by Arab Radio & Television-ART) THE DAMNED DON'T CRY| Giornate degli Autori| Fyzal Boulifa| Morocco QUEENS| Venice International Film Critics’ Week| Yasmine Benkiran| Morocco On the sidelines of the Final Cut in Venice workshop, MAD Solutions will grant its special award, which comprises promotional and distribution services, while El Gouna Film Festival will offer a cash award ($5,000). 3 Arab films compete for the awards at the workshop; BACKSTAGE, by Afef Ben Mahmoud and Khalil Benkirane (Morocco); BLACK LIGHT, by Karim Bensalah (Algeria) and INSHALLAH A BOY, by Amjad Al Rasheed (Jordan), which is distributed in the Arab world by MAD Solutions and Lagoonie Film Production. Additionally, 3 documentaries will be in competition; A FIDAI FILM, by Kamal Aljafari (Palestine); LAND OF WOMEN, by Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir (Egypt) and SUSPENDED, by Myriam El Hajj (Lebanon). While Venice Gap-Financing Market will feature 4 Arab films; 5 SEASONS OF REVOLUTION (Syria),THE 67TH SUMMER (Egypt), FATNA, A WOMAN NAMED RASHID (Morocco) and immersive project KANDAKA (Sudan). On a parallel note, during the events of festival, ACC will release the 17th edition of Arab Cinema Magazine, which features “75 Years of Palestinian Cinema” campaign and celebrates women in cinema. In addition to that, the edition reveals various articles written by prominent Arab figures, namely Egyptian iconic star Youssra, Palestinian directors (Najwa Najjar and Basil Khalil) and Palestinian Researcher and Novelist Saleem Albeik.