Generation 2030 and the Arab British Centre are excited to be hosting a night of Saudi Cinema with director Sara Mesfer and actor Ahmad Yaqoub.

The evening will include a screening of Sara Mesfer’s The Girls who Burned the Night, and a screening of Khaled Zidan’s Othman, starring Ahmed Yaqoub, followed by a Q&A.

This event is supported by CineWaves Films.

16 May, 6.30-8.30pm at the Arab British Centre
Tickets free, booking required, please click here.

Sara Mesfer biography

Sara Mesfer is a Saudi director based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She holds a bachelor degree in Cinematic Art from Effat University, Saudi Arabia. She started her journey working in different roles in films which were selected at local and international film festivals.

In 2018 she wrote and directed her first short film Balcony. In 2019, she wrote and produced Quareer Chapter Three, a short film that is part of a collective feature film that highlights five different stages of a woman’s life in Saudi Arabia.

She wrote and directed The Girls who Burned The Night, which received the Jury Special Mention award at the 42nd Cairo international Film Festival.

Sara is also one of the five Saudi female writers and directors of the omnibus film Al Dabah (Becoming) which received support from Red Sea international Film Festival in 2020.

Ahmed Yaqoub biography

Ahmed Yaqoub is an award-winning Saudi actor, playwright and art producer, with over 13 years of experience in cinema and theatre.

Recently, he played the leading role in the Saudi film ‘Othman’, which won two international awards and was selected at several film festivals. Last September, Ahmed co-starred alongside an elite of Saudi cinema stars in 10/1, a war film based on a true story.

In early 2023, the Joy Awards’ personnel invited Ahmed for its annual ceremony as an appreciation for his exceptional performance in the biographical Broadway-style play The Philosopher, in which he played the main role of the Saudi footballer Yousef Al-Thunayan. The play received huge recognition, and Ahmed’s performance was held in high regard by the critics as the well-known film director Khairy Beshara said, “Ahmed Yaqoub reminded me of Marlon Brando in The Godfather.”

Ahmed, who is also a dentist, started his artistic career in theatre as an actor performing Shakespeare, Chekhov and other literary characters. He found his calling as a writer and started acting in many of his plays, which brought him 6 best actor awards and 3 best script awards in national and international festivals.

As an actor, playwright and producer, Ahmed focuses on maintaining a high standard for all of his artwork, so he can be an asset to the Saudi cinematic and artistic movement.