The consulates of Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Turkey as well as the Irish Embassy and British Council are organizing the festival with the support of the European Delegation in Saudi Arabia.

All films will be screened in their original language with English subtitles.

Spanish movie “Los Otros” (The Others) will be shown on the opening day, followed by Germany’s "Auf der Anderen Seite" (The Edge of Heaven) on April 20.

Turkish movie "3 Maymun” (Three Monkeys) will be shown on April 22, and Italy’s “II Postino” (The Postman) on April 26. All movies will be screened at the Italian Consulate Cultural Center until April 26.

On April 28, the French film "Le Couperet" (The Axe) is being screened at the French Consul General's residence, while Switzerland’s "Marcello Marcello" is to be shown on April 29 at the Italian Consulate Cultural Center.

"A New Day in Old Sana'a" will be the British Council's offering on May 3, and “Dambe — the Mali Project,” the Irish Embassy’s screening, will be shown at the Italian Cultural Center on May 5. The consulates are distributing invitation cards for their respective movies.

Meanwhile, Gulf Nights, a discussion forum of film makers, critics, media and moviegoers has claimed Gulf cinema has evolved considerably in the past 10 years.

The fourth such forum focused on Gulf cinema over the last 10 years at the third Gulf Film Festival (GFF), which ended in Dubai on Wednesday.

While participants highlighted the need for more financial support and superior technical infrastructure, the overall mood was optimistic.

Abdullah Habib, a member of the film jury at the GFF, chaired the session. Most participants claimed that Gulf cinema had broken from its mold and with continued support could offer a credible alternative in cinema for 300 million people in the larger Middle East region.

“The wide showcase of films from the region — 11 this year alone — is testament to the evolution of Gulf cinema,” Habib said.

Masoud Amralla Al-Ali, director of GFF, said: "The discussion on the past decade of Gulf cinema was particularly insightful as it brought out the challenges and opportunities faced by the industry."