Review: ‘King of the Shoulders’ documentary about Hasawi bisht turns threads into gold at Saudi Film festival
DHAHRAN: The 12th Saudi Film Festival opened at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran with the charming documentary “King of the Shoulders,” which had audiences laughing out loud.
The documentary explores the Hasawi bisht, a formal garment usually made of dark-colored wool with decorative gold and silver accents, worn by Saudi men over their crisp white thobes in times of celebration, filmed in the heart of bisht world, in nearby Al-Ahsa.
That specific area within the Eastern Province has been home to the best bisht tailors for over 200 years, even leading production in neighboring Gulf countries since the 1940s for their exquisite craftsmanship and superior skill.
This year’s SFF theme is “Cinema of the Journey,” so every curated film takes us on a trip. This documentary meets the prompt by taking us through the power of threads; every stitch is a story.
