Speakers appreciated the support of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah for art, culture and different fields of creativity

Sharjah Press Club (SPC), operating under the umbrella of Sharjah Government Media Bureau, concluded its 13th Ramadan Majlis, on Thursday, at Al Majaz Amphitheatre, with the artistic session “Art and Life... How does cinema affect people’s lives?”, in the presence of His Excellency Tariq Saeed Allay, Director General of Sharjah Government Media Bureau, Her Excellency Alia Bu Ghanem Al Suwaidi, Director of Sharjah Government Media Bureau, Asma Al Juwaied, Director of SPC, and the Majlis audience.

The session hosted artists Ahmed Al Sakka and Qusay Khouli, to talk about the impact and contribution of dramatic and cinematic works to building values and consolidating the right ideas in societies, and the importance of the artistic message in achieving these goals, The session was moderated by media expert, Reem Seif.

Speakers appreciated the support of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, for culture, art and creativity, expressing their happiness at their presence in the Emirate of Sharjah.

Ahmed Al Sakka stressed that cinematic works are a reflection of social reality and a documentation of history periods with the human, social and economic dimensions it carries, pointing out that art is a cultural commodity that contributes to raising awareness, forming values and correcting concepts, and this constitutes a responsibility on the artist to appropriately select their roles according to their culture, society, personality, history and civilisation.

Al Saqqa stressed that content is the most important element that attracts viewers to artistic works. He added that diversity of presentation of dramatic and cinematic content according to societal constants is a positive factor. Presenting content in different ways that suit the taste of the masses and carry useful messages and values, are extremely important whereas methods of artistic marketing for works has become one of the most important criteria of its success in reaching the largest possible segment, especially in light of the developments of the digital age.

Qusay Khouli explained that art is not a profession, but rather an industry that establishes cultures and beliefs, builds the renaissance of societies and addresses issues, which makes cinema and drama closely linked to societies and shaping individuals awareness, stressing that a successful artist must possess a cultural and cognitive vision that is inseparable from the components and traditions of society.

Khouli pointed out that Arab drama and cinema have many artistic productions that have emerged with success and combined entertainment with a societal message.  He added that in light of the popularity of modern technology platforms and digital platforms that have become complementary to television, diffusion opportunities have become faster, which constitutes an addition and a responsibility for the makers of artistic works to promote Arab products that carry artistic and societal visions, whether through artistic creativity based on imagination or reality.

The closing session of the SPC 13th Ramadan Majlis was preceded by a “Stand-up Comedy” show by “Bel Arabi” team.

His Excellency Tariq Saeed Allay, at the end of the session, presented a commemorative shield to the speakers and members of the comedy show team, and a shield was also presented to “06 Mall” for sponsoring the prizes presented to the fourth Ramadan session attendees.

SPC held its Ramadan Majlis, this year, over 4 consecutive days, from 18 to 21 March, at Al Majaz Amphitheatre, during which it attracted a large segment of attendees and presented different topics in sports, religion, entrepreneurship and art, with the participation of prominent speakers at the global, regional and local levels. The 13th Ramadan Majlis presented a number of daily activities accompanying the sessions, which included interactive games, a poetry night, comedy shows, and competitions for attendees.

Sharjah Press Club is keen annually, through its Ramadan Majlis, to discuss the most important topics and issues that keep pace with societal interest in different fields.