Riyadh Winter Is a Story to Live.

Daw's entry starts from a local truth: people in Saudi Arabia appreciate winter more than summer, because the break from the intense heat makes outdoor activities and camping much more enjoyable, and in Riyadh above all the season 'comes alive with vibrancy'. The Saudi Tourism Authority's winter calendar for 2024 ran events in seven destinations, Riyadh among them, from October 2024 to the end of the first quarter of 2025 (Al-Watan).

The film tries to convey what, its makers say, films cannot: the smells, tastes, sounds and textures of Riyadh's winter, with visuals and sound standing in for them. Its stills show a woman with an umbrella in the rain at night, men with frame drums in a mud-brick house, a woman among mud-brick ruins and hands with prayer beads over a fire. The end card carries the calendar's slogan, which Al-Watan reported, and visitsaudi.com/calendar.