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KUWAIT: The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters has congratulated the Kuwaiti movie producer and director Abdullah Boushehri for his movie “Europe” that won the top awards for direction and acting at the International Red Sea Film Festival, recently hosted by Saudi Arabia. The NCCAL’s official spokesperson Dr Issa Al-Ansari conveyed greetings to Boushehri from the Minister of Information, Culture, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and the council Chairman, Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, and its Secretary General Kamel Al-Abduljalil.
Ansari said he was elated that the movie was honored with the high esteem awards noting that it had also been premiered at the prestigious international Cannes festival. This work that materialized as a result of Kuwaiti-Iraqi-Italian cooperation constituted a new boost for the Kuwaiti movie making industry that first saw the light in the 60s of the past century. The movie narrates a tragic story of an Iraqi, named Kamal, who tries to reach Europe on foot however he falls prey to manipulation by border guards and anti-immigration activists.
Boushehri, a graduate from Florida Atlantic University, had produced the movies, “A Kuwaiti Hero,” and “Loss of Ahmad,” that won the top award as the best Gulf documentary in 2007. Meanwhile, the council congratulated the State of Kuwait Representative at the Arab Music Academy Dr Mohammad Al-Daihan for his appointment as the deputy president of the Arab body. The council spokesman, Dr Ansari, in a statement, relayed congratulations from minister Mutairi and Abduljalil to Dr Daihan.
UN Arabic Language Day
Meanwhile, NCCAL congratulated Abdulaziz Al-Babtain, an eminent Kuwaiti poet and writer, on the occasion of being awarded the UN Arabic Language Day. Ansari stated, in a press statement yesterday, that Minister Mutairi and NCCAL Secretary General Abduljalil have congratulated Babtain. Babtain obtained this award in a ceremony celebrating UN Arabic Language Day, which falls on December 18, at the UN headquarters in New York and the UN International School at the Arabic Language department, Ansari explained. Babtain’s efforts of in the cultural field, especially in supporting the Arabic language, are well-known and pioneering, Ansari indicated.
Since its founding in 1989, Al-Babtain Cultural Foundation has encouraged teaching the Arabic language, translating from it to other languages, as well as launching training and educational courses. Babtain explained the great role of the Arabic language in communication between civilizations and people at all times and how the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted Arabic as the official language in 1973. Permanent Representative of Kuwait to the UN Mansour Al-Otaibi received the award on behalf of Babtain, in the presence of the President of UNGA Abdullah Shahid and several representatives of Arab countries.
‘Al-Arabi’ goes digital
In other news, NCCAL announced yesterday that the website of the monthly Kuwaiti magazine ‘Al-Arabi’ would go on a beta run later this month. NCCAL official spokesperson Dr Issa Al-Ansari said in a statement that the website would feature items from the archive since 1991, exclusive features and interviews between 2001 and 2005. He indicated that the website (alarabi.nccal.gov.kw) would be launched on testing basis for examining remarks by readers and followers of the magazine.
Kuwait’s cultural quarters have been quite boastful of ‘Al-Arabi’ magazine that hit the stands for the first time on December 1, 1958. Many literati view it as synonymous to Kuwait’s top cultural contributions, locally and in Arab countries. The magazine, read by thousands of people throughout the Arab world, has been distinguished with exclusive features, interviews and articles. —KUNA
