Saudi superstar Ahd attends DIFF

Saudi actor and director Ahd is attending the 8th edition of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), rubbing shoulders with cinema stars from around the globe. She is also preparing for her first long production next year, produced by her company ODD Camel Films, founded in 2007, which aims to build bridges with US cinema, where Ahd has been living for many years. Ahd participated in the judges’ panel of the first round of Tropfest Arabia, held in Abu Dhabi, Novermber 4, which marked the first time in the Arab World for the festival which was founded 20 years ago in Australia by Australian star John Paulson. The festival is interested in short films that do not exceed 7 minutes. Ahd has been living in the US for 14 years, becoming the first Saudi woman to study film direction and acting in the States. She gained plenty of experience from working on Hollywood sets, as she worked in the famous film The Kingdom, directed by Peter Berg. She also co-starred in the Turkish film Razan, through which she was awarded the Golden Gate for Best Actress at the San Fransisco Film Festival, in addition to participating in Rotterdam International Film Festival. Her stint as director started with her first short film ‘Al-Qandargi’, starring Egyptian actor Amr Waked, reaping several awards in Arab and international festivals, most significantly the Gulf Film Festival and Beirut International Film Festival. It also competed in the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival. Ahd currently divides her time between the US and the Arab world, and she looks forward to seeing films from her native country, particularly from her hometown Jeddah, which is something she is presently working on.