Line-Up and Jury Announced for the first Red Sea Shorts Competition

27 February 2020, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | The Red Sea International Film Festival announces Tim Redford as President of the jury for the inaugural Red Sea Shorts competition. Redford is a leader in the global short film scene through his work with  Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, the Short Film Conference, and Curtocircuíto International Festival of Short Films. He is joined by Tunisian actress Najla Ben Abdallah, and Saudi screenwriter and cinema pioneer Ahmad Almulla.  

 

Festival Director Mahmoud Sabbagh commented: “Short films have a special place in Saudi film culture; it is a format that allows for experimentation and expression. The competition also taps into a lively Arab shorts community to showcase the best of next-generation filmmaking. It’s exciting to welcome Tim Redford, with his global outlook, to helm the jury for the first Red Sea Shorts program.” 

 

With 13 films from seven countries, a theme found throughout the shorts is the effects of shifting social contexts. 

 

The competition, which is open to all Arab directors, represents the pulse of next-generation Arab creativity with a curated selection of short films produced or directed by the most exciting contemporary voices. The line-up explores the limits of what short films can be. 

 

Jury President Tim Redford (France) has dedicated his career to diverse film organizations across Europe, especially those supporting short films. Since 2015, he has been part of the executive team for Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France, where he co-ordinates the international selection committee, the African Perspectives’ program, and the online submission platform Short Film Depot. He also serves on the board of the Short Film Conference, the only non-profit worldwide organization dedicated to the short film community.  

 

Born in Tunis, Najla Ben Abdallah (Tunisia) began her career in front of the cameras with TV commercials. In 2009, she featured in her first TV show, the Ramadan TV series “Donia”. Her first cinematic role was Lilly in “False Note”. In 2015, she starred in the Tunisian film “Thala Mon Amour” by Mehdi Hmili. Following, she starred alongside Sami Bouajila in Mehdi Barsaoui’s film, “A Son,” (2019) which had its world premiere at the 76th Venice International Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Film. 

 

A major contributor to the cultural life of Saudi Arabia, Ahmad Almulla (KSA) is a poet, and arts developer and cultural consultant. He has served as Director of the Saudi Film Festival (2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019); Director of the Poetry Festival (2015, 2016, 2017); Executive Manager and Member of the board for the Literary Club, Dammam (2006–2010); today, he is a consultant to the Saudi Culture and Arts Society.  

 

Films Overview 

…And When Do I Sleep? 

Husam AlSayed | KSA | Arabic | 16 mins 

Cast: Mustafa Turkistani, Fatima Husein 

In the dead of night, vision is warped by insomnia – Adam hears a woman call out, but there is no-one there. Dreamlike and eerie, as if being plunged into a twisted dream. 

 

Barakat  

Manon Nammour | Lebanon | Arabic | 14 mins 

Cast: Mounir Maasri, Camille Salameh, Rudy Ghafari, Christine Choueiri  

An aging man prepares for his grandson’s wedding in an ever-changing Beirut. This affecting and elegant drama moves beyond nostalgia to tackle constant transformation, memory and its loss. 

 

Clouds 

Muzna Almusafer | Oman | Arabic | 15 mins 

Cast: Bandar Alshihri, Hassan Almashani, Amal Bait Noyra 

A journey inside a tribal Omani society undergoing rapid transformation in 1978. Dablan faces pressure from his village to kill a leopard – instead, he resolves to set the animal free. 

 

Goin’ South 

Mohammed Alhamoud | KSA | Arabic | 14 mins 

Cast: Fatima AlBanawi, Ayman Mutahar, Alanoud Yousef 

Newlyweds pay their first visit to the groom’s hometown. Despite a modern approach to dating, discovering they come from two different worlds, their relationship is put to the test. 

 

The Return 

Charlie Kouka | Tunis/France | Arabic and French | 22 mins 

Cast: Fares Landolsi, Salim Kechiouche, Sondes Belhassen 

Returning home after seven years abroad, Tarek meets Khaled, who is everything he isn’t: successful, handsome, and helpful. Charlie Kouka immerses the audience into their inner turmoil, to explore the consequences of staying and leaving. 

 

Ongoing Lullaby 

Hisham Fadel | KSA | Arabic | 12 mins 

Cast: Sarah Taibah  

An intimate portrait of daily life for a lonely, yet independent, woman who is hounded by melancholic thoughts and doubts. A personal and moving performance by Sarah Taibah, meticulously captured by Hisham Fadel.  

 

So What if the Goats Die 

Sofia Alaoui | Morocco/France | Arabic | 22 mins 

Cast: Fouad Oughaou, Moha Oughaou 

Abdellah, a solitary mountain shepherd, discovers a village abandoned in supernatural circumstances that destabilize his most fundamental beliefs. A trek through an arid, mountainous landscape stresses an encounter with the fragility of human existence. 

 

Soukoon 

Farah Shaer | Lebanon | Arabic | 14 mins 

Cast: Hiba Sleiman Alhamad, Lara Ayazri, Ghassan Chemali 

With her marriage in turmoil, Mariam discovers she’s pregnant. Trapped in a prison of lies and societal pressures, she yearns to break free. A blunt and uncompromising look at sheer perseverance in the face of brutal obstacles. 

 

Sunday at Five 

Sherif El Bendary | Egypt | Arabic | 17 mins 

Cast: Hadeel Hassan, Khairy Beshara, Ayten Amin, Sedky Sakhr 

Selfishness makes Hadeel unstoppable – even if getting what she wants is at the expense of others. Conflating fact and fiction, this is a tale of mind games and manipulation.  

 

The Ghosts We Left at Home 

Faris RJ | Jordan | Arabic | 21 mins 

Cast: Nadeem Rimawi  

Faris RJ patterns unfinished thoughts into a distinctive visual language in this fragmentary and brooding meditation on a man and a city, featuring an utterly compelling performance by Nadeem Rimawi.  

 

The Girls Who Burned the Night 

Sara Mesfer | KSA | Arabic | 24 mins 

Cast: Jana Qomri, Haya Almari 

A small act of rebellion causes tension, then understanding, between teenage sisters Sasabel and Wasan. Impatient to grow-up, they stay awake together through a restless night, exploring dreams and hopes. 

 

The Other Cheek 

Sandro Canaan | Egypt | Arabic | 9 mins 

Cast: Tarek Abdelaziz, Dora Youssef, Mohey Dorgham 

After Nashaat’s daughter is viciously attacked by his neighbors’ dog, he is indignant to read claims she provoked the attack and takes frustrations out on the perpetrator in this tale of guilt, repentance and revenge. 

 

Ward’s Henna Party 

Morad Mostafa | Egypt | Arabic | 23 mins 

Cast: Halima, Ward, Marina Victor 

Halima, a Sudanese refugee, living in Egypt, takes her 7-year-old daughter Ward to work, painting henna for a bride-to-be. The average day takes an unexpected turn when curious Ward sets off exploring. 

Red Sea Film Festival Foundation Restores “Al-Ikhtiyar” (“The Choice”) by legendary Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine

26 February 2020, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation has restored Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine’s masterpiece “Al-Ikhtiyar” (The Choice). The murder mystery will screen in the Festival’s Retrospective and Classics section. The event marks the first big screen projection of the legendary director’s work in Saudi Arabia.  

 

Co-scripted by author Naguib Mahfouz, this murder mystery is a deep dive into the human psyche, exploring the social conscience of Egypt in light of the Six-Day War. In it, a body turns up with a photograph in its pocket. The corpse is the twin brother of a famous author and social climber and, from that moment on, the writer’s life takes a drastically different course. 

 

The film stars the “Cinderella of Egyptian cinema” and one of the most influential actresses in the Middle East and the Arab world, Souad Hosni alongside the brilliant Izzat Al-Alayli, Hoda Sultan, Mahmoud Al-Meliguy, and more. 

  

The restoration was possible thanks to a unique collaboration between the Festival and the Egyptian Ministry of Culture.  

 

The screening, which will be attended by the Director’s family, Gaby, Ramzy, and Marianne Khory, is a central pillar in the Festival’s 15-strong Retrospectives & Classics program and is one of 10 films restored by the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation. Festival Director Mahmoud Sabbagh commented: “It is hugely significant to screen Youssef Chahine film in Saudi Arabia, especially at such a historic moment. It is an honor to connect the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation with the heritage of the late master’s work, and to have the opportunity to restore this seminal work to its full glory, allowing a new generation to encounter one of the greatest films from the Arab canon.” 

 

Red Sea Film Festival Foundation has also restored two rare films by late Saudi photographer Safouh Naamani, which will screen at the Festival. The two works from the pioneer of film and photography inside the Kingdom document the urban and social history of Saudi Arabia, with a focus on Mecca and Jeddah, they are the restored version of “The Pilgrimage to Mecca” (1963), and a special short entitled “Jeddah Between 1954–1968,” which was developed and restored from 16 mm film, to create a panorama of the city.  

 

Furthermore in the RETROSPECTIVES section, the Foundation has restored nine key works of by Egyptian neorealist director Khairy Beshara, which will premiere as part of a full retrospective of Beshara’s work. 

 

The Retrospectives and Classics program is specially curated to give local and international audiences the opportunity to encounter works that have shaped collective memory. 

Red Sea International Film Festival’s first edition to host “When Fellini Dreamt of Picasso” exhibition

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; February 20th, 2020 – The Red Sea International Film Festival announced today that its first edition will host the “When Fellini Dreamt of Picasso” exhibition, in celebration of 100 years since the birth of the great Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini. In collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and La Cinémathèque française, the exhibition will launch on March 14th, 2020, for a duration of 5 weeks. This announcement comes in line with the Foundation’s aim to highlight vibrant cultural legacy; through its key initiatives, it forges dialogues between the past and the future, and between diverse international perspectives. 

 

“When Fellini Dreamt of Picasso” sheds light on the story of how many of Fellini’s films were inspired by Picasso’s paintings, though the two great artists only met once. This exhibition first took place last year in France, and thanks to La Cinémathèque française, Fellini’s unique accessories from the films, such as posters, garments and images will be displayed at the Al-Majlis Al-Baladi exhibition space in Historic Jeddah – Al Balad, Saudi Arabia.  

 

Mahmoud Sabbagh, Festival Director, said: “When I visited the ‘When Fellini Dreamt of Picasso’ exhibition in Paris, I was mesmerised. It is a dream to join the worldwide ‘100 years of Fellini’ celebrations by having this cultural collaboration between the Ministry of Culture and La Cinémathèque française and bringing the spectacular work of Fellini and Picasso to Historic Jeddah and to the Saudi audience.” 

 

In 2005, La Cinémathèque française made its home within the modern building designed by Frank Gehry and is now in a position to exhibit, host, restore, and display its collection in 2 exhibition spaces, programme films on 3 screens, receive students and researchers in its library and archive centre and organize educational events. 

 

The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation is dedicated to national storytellers and strives to develop a sustainable and active ecosystem, through the launch of the festival, education programs with the Red Sea Lodge and industry programs. The Foundation captures the transformative energy of the moment, articulating this creative spark as a catalyst for the local film industry. 

 

The festival aims to preserve and promote film culture, in line with the wider cultural transformation taking place in Saudi Arabia. In efforts to support the film industry, content will be uploaded as the activity takes place – check our website for in-depth insights from the festival.  

Red Sea International Film Festival reveals details of its first edition

February 17, 2020, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – Red Sea International Film Festival announced today the program details, competition lineup and industry initiatives of its first edition at a press conference held in Al-Balad Historic Jeddah, Bait Qabil.  

 

Set to take place March 12-21 at the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Festival will shed light on local talent as well as bringing a diverse selection of films to Saudi Arabia. 

 

Festival Director Mahmoud Sabbagh and Artistic Director Hussain Currimbhoy announced a total of 107 features and shorts that will screen in the Festival.  

 

The selection contains 16 films in-competition, 7 out-of-competition titles, 15 Retrospectives + Classic works, three Generation titles, five Immersive/VR experiences, 11 pictures in New Saudi/New Cinema, 13 titles in the shorts competition, 23 Best of the Year films, 17 Tajreeb titles, which is a collection of experimental films and ‘Untitled Omnibus Feature’, an anthology comprised of 5 short films.  

 

The Competition selection this year opens a window to the world we live in with all of its current challenges. Prevalent themes are the advancement of women’s rights with an intense look at the scourge of domestic violence, as well as immigration, in particular, concerning marginalised individuals.  

 

The Head  of the Competition jury will be American three-time Academy Award winner Oliver Stone.  

 

Participating countries in this year’s competition include Angola, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Columbia, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Kosovo, Lebanon, Mongolia, Nigeria, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Spain and United States. 

 

“It’s pleasing that we are bringing these great quality films discussing social issues of the day, said Sabbagh, Festival Director. “We have a strong desire to push diversity, particularly in women’s position in public spaces, and for a more open society. The films present a strong look at what makes society function and the relationship between the individual to patriarchy and hegemony.” 

 

Under the theme of “Transmissions”, a masterclass series will be led by Arab and International cinema icons, who will pass on their knowledge, inspiration and experience to young, aspiring filmmakers. Among those presenting the sessions are Spike Lee, William Friedkin, Abel Ferrara, Khairy Beshara and Yousry Nasrallah.  

 

The pulse of next-generation talent can be seen in a carefully curated selection of short films produced or directed by the most exciting up and coming Arab contemporary voices. With a focus on diversity and innovation, the shorts competition offers a place to discover something new and to connect with the creators.  

 

The announcement also highlighted the lineup of ‘New Saudi/New Cinema’, a programme developed to introduce new, vital filmmakers and artists. The dynamic selection showcases the new voices shaping the Saudi cinema scene, all primed for launch on to the international circuit. 

 

Another title from the New Saudi/New Cinema program is the ‘Untitled Omnibus Feature’, developed in partnership with Jeddah-based production house Cinepoetics Pictures. A platform for Saudi women in the film industry, the five female filmmakers helming the films are Hind Alfahhad, Jowaher Alamri, Noor Alameer, Sara Mesfer, and Fatima Al-Banawi. Award-winning Palestinian filmmaker Suha Arraf is screenwriting supervisor on the portmanteau film.  

 

Furthermore, Festival attendees will get a chance to encounter site-specific installations at Red Sea’s ‘Immersive Cinema’. Commissions by dynamic digital artists will embrace Jeddah Old Town in this wholly unique program shaped by new takes on narrative form and technology – including powerful sound installations, holographic experiences, and 2-channel experiments.  

 

Inaugurating the first edition of the Festival is the newly built Coral Theater with a 1200 seat capacity. Also at the newly built festival complex are four more theaters, one at 240 seater capacity, and the remaining three with 120 seats. A special masterclass on virtual reality and immersive art, ‘On Site, On Mind’ will  be led by Vishal Dar, Joan Ross, Nic Koller and Weston Rio Morgan. 

 

Furthermore, the Festival will be exhibiting “When Fellini Dreamt of Picasso” in collaboration with Cinémathèque Française, celebrating 100 years since the birth of the great Italian filmmaker. The exhibition sheds light on the story of how many of Fellini’s films were inspired by Picasso’s paintings, though the two great artists had never met.  

 

With scenes shot in Mecca, the Festival will host a very special screening of Spike Lee’s ‘Malcolm X’, on March 13th. ‘The Choice’, one of Youssef Chahine’s iconic films has been restored by the Red Sea Film Foundation. 

 

A series of industry panels titled “Perspectives” will bring together filmmakers from around the world to explore trends, ideas and issues shaping the industry today. These discussions will touch upon the animation industry, the new Saudi independent film scene, Arab international cinema, exploring European/Saudi co-productions and finally, the future for Arab film production.  

 

Festival Director Sabbagh added: “We worked hard to ensure that the films being presented showcase Saudi Arabia’s emerging film industry, and encourage a more open cultural exchange. This isn’t just about exporting our stories; we are bringing different perspectives, new conversations into Saudi Arabia too.” 

 

At this year’s Festival, there will be cash awards totalling $250K for films in competition. The Golden Yusr Trophy for Best Feature carries a $100K cash prize and the Silver Yusr Trophy for Best Director comes with a $50K award. In addition, a Silver Yusr Trophy will be awarded for Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Cinematic Contribution. A prize of $50K will go to the winner of the Audience Award. An additional Golden Yusr Trophy will be presented to the Best Short Film, which also brings a $50,000 investment for a future project plus a five-month creative residency in Jeddah’s Old Town. 

Oliver Stone to head Red Sea International Film Festival Jury

February 17, 2020, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | Oliver Stone will serve as the jury president of the international competition at the inaugural Red Sea Film Festival, it was announced Monday. 

  

Stone and his Jury will oversee the International Competition, which is focused on original, daring productions by emerging and established voices, particularly those from the Arab world and the Global South. The competition values cinematic forms that push traditions, recognizing the innovators of independent film production. 

  

The Jury will give out the following prizes:  Golden Yusr for Best Feature Film (Trophy, and $100,000), as well as Silver Yusrs for Best Director (Trophy, and $50,000), Best Screenplay (Trophy), Best Actor (Trophy), Best Actress (Trophy) and Best Cinematic Contribution (Trophy). 

  

The Yusr Awards are named after the black coral formations found in the Red Sea of Jeddah’s coast. The results will be announced during the awarding ceremony, held on 19 March, 2020. 

  

The Festival is Saudi Arabia’s first international film festival and presents global cinema, with a focus on the Global South and takes place March 12–21, 2020 in Jeddah Old Town, on the Red Sea coast. The Festival is committed to building a solid foundation for the film industry, building connections between the Arab region and the world. 

  

“We are most pleased to have Oliver Stone leading our Jury,” says Festival Director Mahmoud Sabbagh. Stone is a one-of-a-kind. His incredible films about the Vietnam War and American political life have changed our thinking of history, giving new perspectives and challenging accepted truths. This is combined with technical prowess and captivating style of filmmaking that marks out his films as genuine originals. He is a three-time Oscar winner. An auteur in the truest sense of the word. 

  

“Oliver Stone is behind some of the all-time great pieces of cinema,” adds Sabbagh. “Penning Scarface and Midnight Express, directing Platoon and Natural Born Killers, to name a few, he cherishes originality, craft and creativity, values at the heart of the Red Sea FF. For a new breed of filmmakers competing for the Yusr awards, his watchful eye and sense of authorship will be inspirational.” 

  

Stone will also present a classic film that inspired him, Z by Costa Gavras. Which is a film about a Greek progressive deputy who is assassinated. The investigating judge in charge of the investigation highlights the role of the government, in particular the army and the police in this assassination. 

Red Sea International Film Festival to open with World Premiere of Saudi feature film “Shams al-Maaref” (The Book of Sun)

February 16, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | The Red Sea International Film Festival will open in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on March 12, 2020, with the world premiere of the Saudi feature film “Shams al-Maaref” (The Book of Sun)”, directed by the Godus Brothers. The film will also compete in the Festival’s IN COMPETITION category.  

 

Directed by Faris Godus, produced and starring his brother Suhaib, “Shams al-Maaref” (The Book of Sun) captures the spirit of a generation whose lives were transformed by the internet. Set in 2010, high school senior Husam (Baraa Alem) finds himself drawn into the world of video production, an obsession that takes his focus away from the ordinary pursuits of high school and teenage life. His best friend Maan (Ismail Alhasan), their one-time foe Ibrahim (Ahmed Saddam), and teacher Orabi (Sohayb Godus) also become preoccupied with the online world and the possibility of a medium that comes to represent freedom to them.  The group set out to produce a no-budget horror movie – a wild adventure of self-expression and creativity that their families believe will put their futures at risk.  

 

The Godus Brothers came to fame through their efforts in projects such as Telfaz 11 and their acclaimed short film “Depressing Scene” (2016) and the Saudi Ramadan TV series “Another Planet”. The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation supported the film, bestowing a $500,000 production grant via the Tamheed Fund, a one-time award for emerging Saudi filmmakers. The film is one of a number backed by the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation’s broad slate of grants and funds. 

 

Festival Director Mahmoud Sabbagh commented: “An insider’s look at the origins of new cinema in Saudi Arabia, “Shams al-Maaref” (The Book of Sun) is a fitting opening to the Kingdom’s first-ever international film festival. The Godus brothers have created a testament to the passionate community of pioneering filmmakers, who have inspired and drive Saudi cinema culture.” 

“Changing the Script” – Red Sea International Film Festival announces theme and honors three cinematic innovators

February 11, 2020, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | The Red Sea International Film Festival announced that its inaugural session, which will launch next month in Jeddah’s Old Town, will have the theme “Changing the script”.  

 

The Festival announced the honoring of three creators of change and innovation in their countries, who made great contributions to the world of film. They are Jack Lang, former French Minister of Culture, Kim Dong-ho, founder of South Korea’s Busan Film Festival, and Daniela Michel, founding director of the Morelia International Film Festival in Mexico. 

 

Festival director Mahmoud Sabbagh commented: “The honoring of these three legendary figures is at the heart of the Red Sea Film Festival’s goals. An appreciation of pioneers of the film industry, who contributed to unlocking artistic capabilities of their compatriots and developing cinematic masterpieces to be enjoyed for generations.” Sabbagh added, “It coincides with the founding moment of the film industry in our country, and in honoring these individuals looks at how the introduction of similar international models can add to the dialogue establishing Saudi’s film industry.” 

 

Three Gold Yusr awards will be presented at the opening ceremony of the Red Sea Film Festival on March 12  to our trio of honorees who embody the spirit of “Change the Script.” 

 

Festival Theme: Change the Script. 

 

Film industry pioneers and movie fans will gather in Jeddah to exchange thoughts and ideas and to discuss the prospects for change that the Festival’s programs and initiatives carry. This theme was chosen to reflect the atmosphere in which the Festival came to be, and cinema’s ability to document and respond to these social changes. This theme is related specifically to Saudi Arabia as a new film market, and to celebrate cinema’s ability to impact a community.   

 

 

Jack Lang (France) 

 

Appointed Minister of Culture by President Mitterrand in 1981, Jack Lang has made an unparalleled impact over the creative landscape of France. He created a revolution in the film sector, where he worked to develop a profitable infrastructure for the French film industry. Lang redefined the state’s involvement in cinema production with the restructuring of existing funds, a strategy that paid off handsomely. He oversaw the creation of the French National Cinema Center and the Independent Film Support Fund, establishing new funds such as the Mass Production Film Fund. His innovative idea, known as the SOFICA funds, which are private money funds, was the crown jewel of his plans. Many countries have since copied the funding model, and its programs have benefited many generations of directors, including New Wave giants, Godard, Truffaut, Rivette, Chabrol and Rohmer.  

 

Kim Dong-ho (South Korea) 

 

A giant of Korean cinema, Kim Dong-ho is the founder and former Chairman of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), launched in 1996, it developed into Asia’s premier film event, a central hub for the Asian film industry and a global film destination. Since the first edition of the Busan Film Festival, its openness to the public, and its ability to create a large audience enjoying diverse cinematic offerings have had a huge impact on the Korean film industry.  

 

Throughout his career, he has made significant contributions to shaping Korea’s cultural landscape. One example, from 1988, he was president of the Korean Motion Picture Promotion Corporation (now Korean Film Council), contributing to the expansion of the cultural scene, deepening the base of the Korean film industry, and establishing Korean films as a global force.  

 

 

 

Daniela Michel (Mexico) 

 

Daniela Michel is the founding director of the International Morelia Film Festival, established in 2003 as an annual festival to support a new generation of Mexican directors, and credited with the rise of Mexican cinema internationally. The direct result of this is the prominence of a new generation of Mexican filmmakers, that is winning major prizes and gaining a permanent place in major film festival competitions. Collectively they have come to be known as “The Second Golden Age” of Mexican cinema. 

 

In addition, The Morelia Festival has acquired a prestigious international reputation, while also playing a central and important role at the heart of the Mexican film industry.  

 

Official Poster for the Red Sea International Film Festival

The Red Sea International Film Festival has unveiled the official poster of its inaugural edition featuring an image shot by Syrian-born artist Osama Esid of Saudi ballerina Samira Alkhamis emerging from the sea, indicative of the wave of change in the region, and the opportunities for a new generation of filmmakers in Saudi Arabia.

 

In creating the poster, Esid employed the wet-collodion process, a traditional photography technique invented in 1851, which he then paints in vibrant color tints, bringing the black and white photography vividly to life. The clash of modern and traditional approaches epitomizing the Festival’s commitment to heritage and innovation, drawing on the past as the foundations of the future.

 

The image is a collaboration between three distinctive Arab artists, Omani artist and illustrator Chndy’s graphic design complementing the figure of Alkhamis in Esid’s bold design. Doubled and reflected, the poster is indicative of the exchange that is central to the Festival’s mission, offering multiple perspectives and new ways of looking.

 

For more information, please contact:

 

[email protected]

 

Red Sea International Film Festival

 

The Inaugural Saudi Flagship Film Festival will run in Jeddah from 12 – 21 March, 2020

Jeddah: 27 June, 2019 – The Red Sea International Film Festival announced today that the inaugural edition will be held from March 12 – 21, 2020 in the old town of Jeddah, on the Saudi Arabian Red Sea coast led by Festival Director and CEO Mahmoud Sabbagh and his newly appointed senior personnel. The first edition will bring the regional and international community together to experience the world’s best films, educational workshops, informative industry master classes, immersive art experiences, experimental projects and other cinematic events.

 

The Red Sea International Film Festival’s ambitious mandate is to develop and promote the film industry in Saudi Arabia and become a vital event to discover up-and-coming talent from the region and support a new wave of cinema from around the world with a focus on the Global South. The Festival will welcome local festival goers, filmmakers, actors, media and industry professionals to Jeddah to celebrate cinema over the course of 9 days.
With supporting and showcasing emerging talent from the Kingdom at the forefront, The Red Sea International Film Festival has launched The Red Sea Lodge: “The New Arab Wave”, a script & feature lab in collaboration with the TorinoFilmLab which will open for submissions on 1 July, 2019.

 

The Red Sea Lodge: “The New Arab Wave” will select 12 Arab projects of which at least 6 will be from Saudi filmmakers. Filmmakers will participate in a five-month support programme designed to develop their projects with national and international film industry experts.

The Red Sea Lodge will assign two $500,000 awards to the best projects from the Script & Feature Lab and additional awards to financially support the further development of the projects.

 

The festival’s film program aims to be robust and energetic, launching feature-length and short film works with an emphasis on diversity in storytelling styles that push narrative form, embrace risk-taking in their ideas, and value craft. With a focus on the Global South, the program will also showcase the best of Arab and international cinema across several program sections.

 

Hussain Currimbhoy, who previously served as a documentary programmer at the Sundance Film Festival, joins the Festival as Artistic Director, and Shivani Pandya Malhotra, who brings a wealth of experience from the Dubai International Film Festival after managing it for 15 years, joins as Managing Director. Industry veteran Antoine Khalife joins as Director of the Arab Programme, Samaher Mously as Director of Marketing and Communications and Ibrahim Modir as Head of Operations. They join acclaimed filmmaker Sabbagh and a team of Saudi and international programmers and executives with the mission to launch a dynamic platform for new films, energize the culture of cinema, develop talent, build a local industry, promote Saudi films regionally and internationally, create an active market and increase cultural exchange and understanding.

 

The Festival is supported by The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation, an independent, non-profit organization chaired by the Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al-Saud, the first in the Saudi civil society law promoting the film culture. The Foundation aims at championing the local new film industry in the country that focuses on nurturing national storytellers and local original narratives through the Festival and it’s all year long education, grants programs and market initiatives.