Mc with Marwan Hamed

The first in a series, award-winning filmmaker Marwan Hamed delivered a masterclass at the Saudi Art Council in November 2019The session explored the art of storytelling, raising finance, and creating a successful film with a distinctive Arab identity – all through the lens of his rich experience. 

 

Marwan Hamed is an Egyptian director and producer with a career spanning more than 20 years. His directorial debut, the short film LILLY (2001)based on a short story by the novelist Youssef Idrisearned him wide critical acclaim. In 2006, Marwan directed his first feature film THE YACOUBIAN BUILDING (OMARET YACOUBIAN) (2006), which garnered many awards, followed by THE BLUE ELEPHANT (2014) and its 2019 sequelconsidered one of the highest-grossing films in the history of Egyptian cinema. 

Khairy Beshara: Retrospective

Renewing cinema through plots, stories, and performances – encounter the eternal innovator Khairy Beshara through a masterclass and screening program 

 

This month, meet and learn from a renegade Egyptian filmmaker in the Khairy Beshara Retrospectives Masterclass 

 

Enjoy his classic films in their original glory – remastered by the Red Sea International Film Festival 

 

In 1996, at the apex of his career, Khairy Beshara quit filmmaking. Two blockbusters in one year, the highest salary of any Egyptian filmmaker, more than 30 feature and documentary films, awards and acclaim, couldn’t stop him from walking away from the limelight and the industry he had defined for more than two decades. It was a characteristically rebellious move from a renegade filmmaker. A mark of his integrity, it would lead to a 16-year hiatus.  

 

 

Unconventional boundary-breaking has defined Beshara’s career. In the 1980s, he was a leading director in the Egyptian Neo-Realism movement, a style of cinema that responded to the psychological strife of everyday life, exploring ideas of identity, culture and heritage within settings familiar to ordinary people. Ever the renegade, Beshara moved away from the style he’d been so instrumental in shaping. With a new decade, a new chapter – Crab (1990) introduced the genre of folk fantasy to Arab cinema.  

 

When he returned to filmmaking with his experimental docu-fictionMoondog (2012), he had embraced and mastered the innovations of digital filmmaking. Beshara has never followed anyone else’s script, founding movements and then transforming them, developing new techniques. 

 

Meet the Master 

 

The filmmaker will share his unique outlook and wealth of experience in a special masterclass for Jeddah’s aspiring filmmakers. The session will look at ways of “renewing cinema through plots, stories, and performances”. 

 

Following a screening of The Collar and the Bracelet (1986), remastered by the Festival , critic Mohamed Sayed will join the acclaimed director, with the class moderated by Antoine Khalife, Director of the Arab Program.  

 

After the masterclass and the retrospective, get better acquainted with Beshara’s life and work through a new publication. The Festival is releasing a new biography on Beshara, edited by film critic Mohammed Sayyed Abdel Raheem, featuring never before seen archival images.  

 

 On the big screen  

Though Beshara’s films are some of the best known and most loved in the Arab canon, they’ve never been seen on the big screen in Saudi Arabia – until now. A retrospective series arrives in Jeddah’s cinema’s this month.  

 

One of the most iconic films in Egyptian cinema history, The Collar and the Bracelet (1986) is a searing dramatic thriller, acclaimed for its unflinching social commentary and poetic style.  

 

Bitter Day, Sweet Day (1988) is a portrait of Egyptian society reshaped by the forces of globalization, through the story of widow Aisha, her five children, and a manipulative and controlling son-in-law. A moving look at poverty and drastic social change on an individual’s values and ambitions.  

 

Ice Cream in Gleam(1992) is a film of hope against the odds, staring the legendary Amr Diab as Saif. Working in a video rental store, Saif dreams of another life, making his name in music. But fate seems to have other plans – he’s fired and lands in jail. There he meets and forms a trio with a songwriter and infamous musician, discovering his aspirations still reach the hardest of places. 

 

Set in 1973, Abracadabra America(1993) follows a hapless group as they flee Egypt after the October War, attempting to emigrate to America. Arriving at their first stop on the Hungarian border, they discover they’ve been conned. To survive, they must learn to overcome their differences. 

 

A remarkable film shot entirely on the busy streets of downtown Cairo, Traffic Light (1995) is a glimpse of mid-90s Egyptian society, reeling from the changes of globalization. At a stop sign, on hold for a passing VIP, a group find themselves at emotional and social ‘crossroads’ – a love story blossoms, a baby is due, and a man is on fire! 

 

The Collar and the Bracelet (1986) 

 

Bitter Day, Sweet Day (1988) 

 

Ice Cream with Gleam (1992) 

 

Abracadabra America (1993) 

 

Traffic Light (1995) 

48 Hr Film Challenge

 

What a difference a day (or two) makes! Could you write, produce and shoot a short film in just 48 hours? 

2020 has been a bust. Stuck at home, with routines and habits we’d rather forget. And time has stood still. Challenging aspiring filmmakers to a creative experiment, Alliance Française, the Consulate general of France in Jeddah, The embassy of France in Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea International Film Festival, and La Fémis the film and television school want to change all that with two fast-paced and imaginative days. 

 

The adventure is open to the Kingdom’s aspiring filmmakers – Saudis and Saudi residents alike – aged 18–25. Apply for the 48Hr Film Challenge, where successful applicants will enjoy three days of technical workshops and mentorship before the action-packed shoot in a race against the clock. And that’s not all – the winning team leaders will be crowned for their achievements with a prize of filmmaking residency at La Fémis, in France, next year. 

 

Get your team (max. 5) together and let us know why you want to participate in this filmmaking adventure – applications are open now. Check out the submission guidelines for your chance to be part of a wild 48 hours, turning two days into a brand new, original short film! 

 

SHORTLISTED PROJECTS 

01 Phosphene 

 

  • Team Leader: Safiah Husain Talib 
  •  
  • Nadeem Siddiq 
  •  
  • Qusai Alqahtani 
  •  
  • Jood Simbawah 
  •  
  • Monaifah Alhajery
  •  

02Ventca 

 

  • Team Leader: Abdulrahman Abu Habayeh 
  •  
  • Nader Wahbah 
  •  

03 Into the sun 

 

  • Team Leader: Abir Almadani 
  •  
  • Rahaf Aleiadhi 
  •  
  • Amas Alshammari 
  •  

04Azor Ahai 

 

  • Team Leader: Khalid Fallatah 
  •  
  • Ammar Hafiz 
  •  

05Nostalgiers 

 

  • Team Leader: Anmar Rdoeiny
  •  
  • Tala Al-Asadi 
  •  
  • Refal Mushref 
  •  
  • Rana Mattar 
  •  
  • Khawlah Alhalwani 
  •  

06 What’s the menu? 

 

  • Team Leader: Rahaf Shami 
  •  
  • Sara Saber 
  •  
  • Bayan Majed 
  •  
  • Khadija Alhebshi 
  •  

07 TSC 

 

  • Team Leader: Sara Bukhari 
  •  
  • Shahad Alqahtani 
  •  

08 The Falcons 

 

  • Team Leader: Abdullah Alamoudi 
  •  
  • Taha Baageel 
  •  
  • Yasser Alzahrani 
  •  
  • Roula Dakheelallah 
  •  

09 Art Angels 

 

  • Team Leader: Abdulaziz Al-Gethami 
  •  
  • Amal Alshehri 
  •  
  • Lina Algethami 
  •  
  • Maha Algethami
  •  

10Alzayer Brothers 

 

  • Team Leader: Amer Al Zayer 
  •  
  • Ziyad Alzayer 
  •  

11 Pink Camels 

 

  • Team Leader: Talal Saud 
  •  
  • Younis Mohamed 
  •  

12 Hustlers 

  • Team Leader: Shouq Bakri 
  •  
  • Mohammed Atabani 
  •  
  • Aseel Morya 
  •  

13 The Normal Picture 

 

  • Team Leader: Mazin Shallal 
  •  
  • Abdulrahman Alhamdan 
  •  
  • Sultan Alsaud 
  •  
  • Seif Ali Ridha 
  •  

14 Watch me roll 

 

  • Team Leader: Abeer Sultan 
  •  
  • Abdullah Aljobelah 
  •  
  • Arwa Alsari 
  • Reema Ibrahim 

15 Emerson Graduates 

  • Team Leader: Farah Alturki 
  •  
  • Sarah Alansary 
 

Winning Projects

1. Edible by Art Angels
2. Dream of Dust by Watch me Roll
 

Watch the rest of the projects