Bahrain Film Festival fifth edition set to open today

TDT | Manama

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The fifth edition of the Bahrain Film Festival is set to open today under the slogan “Short Films… Great Stories.”

Organized by the Bahrain Cinema Club in cooperation with the Ministry of Information, the festival will run from today to November 4, 2025, at Marassi Galleria Mall.

The opening ceremony will feature a red carpet event, followed by an official opening attended by Information Minister, His Excellency Dr. Ramzan bin Abdullah Al Nuaimi, who will deliver the keynote address.

Speeches from the organizing committee and festival management will follow.

During the ceremony, the festival will honor a number of artistic figures, including Ali Abbas and Majid Shams Group, one of Bahrain’s most prominent creative collectives from the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The group produced five short films on 8mm film, marking a significant chapter in the Kingdom’s cinematic heritage.

On the regional level, the festival will pay tribute to Syrian actress Mona Wassef, a celebrated figure in Arab cinema whose illustrious career spans more than five decades.

Screening Following the tribute, the opening film “Hope,” directed by Bahraini filmmaker Ahmed Al-Zayani, will be screened.

The film marks AlZayani’s directorial debut and tells a story of solidarity and perseverance in the aftermath of the global pandemic — highlighting the power of hope amid hardship.

Throughout its five-day run, the festival will feature a series of workshops, artistic discussions, and short film screenings aligned with the goals of the fifth edition — to celebrate creative talent and spotlight exceptional cinematic visions from Bahrain and the wider Arab world.