Film Criticism Conference organised by the Saudi Film Commission officially opened at the Cultural Palace on Thursday

The Saudi Film Commission, in conjunction with other film professionals, hosted the formal launch of the Film Criticism Conference on Thursday night at the Cultural Palace.

Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah gave a discussion at the start of the event, which was followed by a showing of his 1996 documentary "On Boys, Girls, and the Veil" and a Q&A period.

The conference began on Tuesday with the screening of many local and foreign films at the Muvi Cinema on the U Walk strip, even though the formal launch was on Thursday. The conference runs until Tuesday.

Kindi Square hosted an outdoor showing of the animated Belgian-Norwegian film "Titina" on Thursday night.

The conference will include seminars and discussions by international filmmakers and industry professionals in addition to the screenings. Discussion points include the moral conundrums that come with creating documentaries and the value of criticism in the social media age.

Art film installations will be shown in conjunction with the event. These works include "The Image Book" by French artist Jean-Luc Godard, "Dream-e-scape" by Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger, and "Two Captains Sink the Ship" by Kuwaiti artist Haya Alghanim.

Workshops and other activities are geared toward younger audiences.