The Malmö Arab Film Festival, the leading cinematic platform for Arab cinema in the Nordic countries, announced its decision to honor the esteemed Saudi director Abdullah Al-Muhaisen , as part of its sixteenth edition scheduled to be held in the Swedish city of Malmö from April 10 to 16, 2026. This honor comes as a culmination of a distinguished artistic career spanning decades, and for the pivotal role that Al-Muhaisen played in laying the foundations of the film industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Abdullah Al-Muhaisen... the godfather of Saudi cinema

Director Abdullah Al-Muhaisen is an exceptional artistic figure in the history of Saudi cinema. His career began in the 1970s, a time when the film industry in the region was still finding its footing. Al-Muhaisen was not merely a director; he was a pioneer who dedicated himself to documenting Arab and human realities through a critical cinematic lens. His work is distinguished by its unique blend of documentary and narrative styles, making him a reference point for new generations of filmmakers in the Kingdom, especially in light of the current cultural renaissance in Saudi Arabia.

Special screening of the film "Assassination of a City" and masterclass

In celebration of this towering figure, the tribute program includes a special screening of his acclaimed documentary, "The Assassination of a City ." This film is more than just a cinematic work; it is a significant historical document that addresses the Lebanese Civil War and the impact of conflicts on cities and people. The film garnered widespread critical acclaim upon its release. Following the screening, the festival will host a masterclass led by Al-Muhaisen himself, where he will share the essence of his extensive experience with the audience and young filmmakers, discussing the challenges he faced in the early days of Saudi cinema and how he harnessed imagery to serve humanitarian causes.

A cultural bridge between Arabs and Europe

Commenting on the event, Mohammed Qablawi , director of the Malmö Arab Film Festival, affirmed that Al-Muhaisen's selection for the honor stems from his established position as a pioneer of Arab cinema. He noted that the festival aims, through this tribute, to introduce European audiences and the Arab communities in Sweden to the profound artistic vision of the Saudi director. The Malmö Arab Film Festival is known as a vital platform for cultural exchange, consistently striving to highlight the figures who have shaped the consciousness of Arab viewers.

The importance and impact of honoring

For his part, director Abdullah Al-Muhaisen expressed his profound happiness at this recognition, describing the Malmö Arab Film Festival as a true platform for cultural dialogue between the Arab world and Europe. This honor comes at a crucial time, as Saudi cinema is witnessing significant leaps forward and reaching international audiences, confirming that current achievements are based on a strong legacy established by pioneers like Al-Muhaisen, who dedicated his life to presenting an authentic image of his society and the issues facing his nation.

Saudi poet and translator Ghassan Al-Khunaizi has enriched the Arabic literary scene with a remarkable achievement: the publication of his translation of the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda's collection "The Art of Birds" (Arte de pájaros), by Kalimat Publishing House in Sharjah. This translation is a significant addition to the Arabic literature on Neruda, as this work is considered one of the most important artistic milestones in the career of the author of "I Bear Witness That I Have Lived.".

This edition is particularly significant given the global stature of Pablo Neruda, winner of the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature, a unique poetic voice in Latin American literature. His collection "The Art of Birds," originally published in 1966, is not merely a collection of poems, but an aesthetic document that was first published in his native Chile, accompanied by illustrations by prominent artists, before becoming part of his complete works and being translated into many of the world's major languages.

Critically, this collection marks a significant stylistic turning point in Neruda's work. The direct political or emotional rhetoric that characterized some of his earlier works recedes, giving way to a more concise and attuned style that resonates deeply with the pulse of nature. In this work, Neruda does not treat birds as mere decorative subjects or rhetorical metaphors, but rather as living, linguistic, and sensory beings. This invites the reader to reconsider the complex relationship between humanity and nature, and between the concepts of language, movement, and time.

The collection comprises 53 poems, artfully divided into two main sections: the first is dedicated to real birds inspired by the rich Chilean environment, while the second veers into pure fantasy with imagined birds, crafted within a mysterious structure that makes the act of naming itself a truly poetic one. Interspersed throughout the collection are three longer poems that lend it structural cohesion, blending precise description with philosophical reflection.

The importance of this translation lies in the context of Arab-Latin American cultural exchange, as it offers the Arab reader an opportunity to explore the environmental and cosmic dimensions of Neruda's poetry. Al-Khunaizi ensured accuracy, relying on an intermediary English text while rigorously consulting the original Spanish. This effort was supervised by Dr. Khadija Qaddum, Professor of Romance Languages ​​and Latin American Literature, who facilitated the editing process to guarantee the accuracy of the meaning and to respect environmental and cultural nuances, particularly regarding local names and the symbolic connotations of birds from Chile and Patagonia.

Neruda opens the collection with a majestic collective scene in which the migration of birds appears as a rigorous cosmic movement, driven by an instinct that knows no hesitation, as shown in the following excerpt:

A flock of birds,
facing
a line of latitude, made of iron and ice,
advances relentlessly
in its straight course:
a hungry straightness
like an arrow aimed,
for celestial multitudes making their way
to procreate, molded
by love and conquering geometry…

Neruda also creates imaginary birds fashioned from both feathers and language, such as the "hieroglyphic bird" which he describes as follows:

Its feathers intertwined, one beside the other,
it spreads its wings in the fields of work.
The bird of the labyrinth, the bird of land and sea,
and of riddles…