Heritage is represented in everything that is transmitted with customs, traditions, etiquette and arts and transmitted from one generation to the next. The Heritage film is a sub-genre of the documentary film. It carries all the elements of cultural action and artistic work in addition to the scientific act that characterizes it, as it is considered an academic film document that benefits specialists working in the field. The field of cinema and heritage, that visual culture carried by the image devolves into a thought based on information sourced visually and audio and relying on documents, texts and interviews. This helps in the socialization and historiography of an era or a period of it, and transmit it objectively without distortion, and that the information contained in the film is real and away from all false personalities and places, and neutral and objective monitoring based on reliable images and documents, as well as live and objective testimonies, To crystallize trends that differentiate based on the angles of its treatment of reality, the methodologies and methods employed for this, and the technical style and reliance on what is real.
The importance of the heritage film is embodied in preserving the heritage through the strengthening of identity, as it allows the transmission of facts based on realistic evidence as an expression of the living reality. This identity must be consolidated in the present generation and transmitted objectively and aesthetically to the second generation, especially since Egypt and the Arab world are characterized by a popular and civilized heritage, as well as the diversity of cultural heritage in each country.
The Heritage film, which directly refers to proving identity and belonging and emphasizing the universality of Arab heritage by highlighting its various aspects related to human life and societies, is focused on the revival and preservation of heritage as it expresses identity in addition to the role it plays in entertainment, education, guidance, promotion, and consolidation Dissemination of knowledge, values, and social traditions from one generation to the next.
The valuation of heritage requires its preservation, the transfer of information about it on the one hand, its dissemination and the participation of society and the public, in its evaluation and history, on the other hand. We highlight the reason for preservation in the documentary heritage film through cultural events.
Therefore, the researcher held the Arab Heritage Film Festival - which was held in its first session from December 5 to December 20, 2020, virtually.
Where the festival faced challenges, and on the selection of films that participated in the competition, which aims to highlight the contents of the Arab identity in the sense of films that define and document social practices of customs, traditions, values, cultural heritage, and the cultural identity of each community at the Arab level, and through which heritage is transmitted from one generation to the next. As well as presenting a realistic picture of societies with their history, heritage, civilization, landmarks and others.