Amsterdam, Netherlands, June 7, 2022: “Septimius” award ceremony held in Amsterdam in the Netherlands announced the Saudi film “The Journey” won “Septimius” award as Best Experimental Film. “The Journey” movie, produced by the Manga Productions, a subsidiary of Mohammed bin Salman foundation (Misk), is the first Saudi and Arab film in history to win Best Experimental Film award at international festivals. The film competed against seven finalists nominated in the experimental film category. The categorization depends on the film’s excellence in creating a one-of-a-kind expressive power using a unique art style.
The film festival includes many international films nominated for the final stage, which compete in multiple categories. In addition, a group of filmmakers and several celebrities who won international awards, such as Oscars and Grammys, including the renowned director Kevin Willmott, American actor Thomas Jane, and others, attended. The “Septimius” Film Festival aims to support creative, inspiring, and high-quality productions.
Dr. Essam Bukhary, CEO of Manga Productions and Executive Producer of “The Journey,” commented: “We are proud of “The Journey” winning the “Septimius” award for Best Experimental Film for the first time in the history of Saudi and Arab cinematic films, as it showcases that creative content of our Saudi culture can compete globally and drives us at Manga Productions to continue our journey in further developing Saudi talents; as we learned from His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed bin Salman, the importance of empowering the youth and that our ambitions are limitless.”
Eng. Abdulaziz Al-Naghmoosh, Director of Marketing, Distribution, and Business Development at Manga Productions commented: “The Journey,” movie winning the Septimius Award for Best Experimental Film, is another triumph and the fruit of hard work in developing Saudi talents that we constantly seek to discover, support, and enhance their skillset in the content industry, who also worked directly on the movie “The Journey.” Also, this triumph is a tribute to the efforts made in the release of “The Journey,” and distributed in more than 25 European countries and 15 Asian countries. We have also signed with major broadcasting platforms to air the film. “The Journey” is available on “Crunchyroll” in the USA and is also currently broadcasting on more than 20 Japanese platforms as well as “Shahid” in the Middle East.”
Ms. Sarah Mohammed, manager of Animation and Manga at Manga Productions, expressed the award, saying: “The success of the movie “The Journey” is a global tribute to the creativity of Saudi youth and the cooperation between Manga Productions and Toei Animation. Through this, we displayed part of our heritage and culture. Furthermore, this victory is the result of the great efforts made in the co-production between Saudi and Japanese talents on all stages, starting with writing, designs, and artistic direction and ending with the release of the film, which, thankfully, had a wide positive resonance on local and global audiences.”
The core of Arabian history inspired the making of “the Journey,” directed by the famous Japanese director Shizuno Kobun is an epic tale in the Arabian Peninsula that tells the story of Aws, a potter in Makkah who takes up arms to protect his city against ruthless invaders who threaten to destroy the Kaaba. The film also offers a unique experience to viewers by blending four different artistic styles. It is worth noting that the movie “The Journey” is the first Saudi and Arab animated film that used 4DX technology on cinema screens.
