NEWS
Within The Activities of The World Heritage Committee in Riyadh Next September A Documentary Film Directed and Filmed by UoB Students Wins the “My Heritage” Competition “Ya Mal” Presents Historical Evidence and Landmarks from the Areas and Banks of the “Pearling Path”
Sakhir – University of Bahrain (Khadijah Abdusalem)
24 August 2023
A documentary film produced by a student team from the College of Arts at the University of Bahrain (UoB) won the “My Heritage” film competition, which was recently organized by the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage, in cooperation with the Heritage Authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The short documentary titled “Ya Mal” was chosen from among 35 films from the Arab countries, to be shown on the sidelines of activities at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee next September in Riyadh.
The film was written and directed by Yousef Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed, a student in the Bachelor’s in Information program in radio and television, and was filmed by a student in the same program, Yousef Mubarak, and a student in the Bachelor’s in Media program majoring in multimedia, Mohammed Abdullah Al-Othman.
The National University encourages its students to participate in internal and external activities, as part of its plan to link theoretical aspects with practical application, and to align the educational outcomes in the University’s undergraduate programs with the requirements of the labor market, to prepare graduates who are able to engage in the market quickly and with high efficiency.
Ahmed indicated that the idea of the film focuses on the importance of the “Pearling Path” – which is a historical and cultural landmark – and focuses on the history of pearl fishing and its industry, in the past and currently, as well as the difficulties faced by fishermen. Stressing that the role of wise leadership in preserving this path strengthened its historical and heritage status and contributed to making it global and getting the “Pearling Path” registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Moreover, Ahmed stated, “We, the new generation, must document and shed light on the pearl trade and industry, due to its status in Bahrain’s history and heritage, and for the universality of Bahraini pearls.”.
He also pointed out that his specialization in radio and television at the National University contributed to producing the idea of the film with high quality, indicating that his work, along with two skilled colleagues in the field of photography, contributed to directing the film in an honorable way, as he worked with his team to include archive clips and recent footages in the film, in addition to interviews with a number of divers and shipbuilders, to document some of the aspects related to pearl fishing and its industry, to bring the pearl industry in the past closer to its present state.
