The Red Sea International Film Festival ( ar, مهرجان البحر الأحمر السينمائي الدولي) is a

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...

launched in 2019 and held in

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...

, western

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

. The festival mainly focuses on new storytelling trends, as well as emerging talents from Saudi Arabia, the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

and the rest of the Global South. The festival looks at establishing a solid foundation for the film industry in Saudi Arabia that may contribute to diversifying the income of the country. The first edition of the festival was held in the old town of Jeddah from the 6th of December to the 15 December 2021. The second edition of the festival will be held between the 1st and the 10th of Dec 2022, and will feature the best films from Saudi Arabia, the region and a curated selection of titles from around the world.

Organization

The festival is organized and operated by the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation, a non-profit cultural organization registered in Saudi Arabia. The Foundation is chaired by Jomana Alrashid; Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Saudi Research and Media Group – SRMG."

Festivals

2021 edition

2021 edition of the festival was opened on 6 December 2021 with

Joe Wright Joseph Wright (born 25 August 1972) is an English film director residing in Somerset, England. His motion pictures include the literary adaptations '' Pride & Prejudice'' (2005), ''Atonement'' (2007), ''Anna Karenina'' (2012), and ''Cyrano'' ( ...

’s ''

Cyrano Cyrano may refer to: Astronomy * 3582 Cyrano, a small main belt asteroid * Cyrano (crater), a lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon Stage and film * ''Cyrano'' (Damrosch), a 1913 opera by Walter Damrosch * ''Cyrano'', a 195 ...

'' at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 138 films from 67 countries will be screened in the festival, which includes 16 films in competition section. It closed on 15 December with the world premiere of Kabir Khan‘s film '' 83''. The event came after several boycott calls by the critics, who warned that the Saudi authorities were attempting to divert the international attention from the country's poor human rights records. The Kingdom was being accused of using culture to whitewash its image at a global level. One of the critics said that without freedom of speech, the festival descended into a propaganda. ;Red Sea Competition * '' Brighton 4th'', dir:

Levan Koguashvili Levan Koguashvili ( ka, ლევან კოღუაშვილი; March 18, 1973) is a Georgian film director and screenwriter. He studied in Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography after graduating school. Biography Levan Koguashvili was bo ...

* ''Communion'', dir: Nejib Belkadhi * '' PAKA (River of Blood)'', dir: Nithin Lukose * '' Huda's Salon'', dir:

Hany Abu-Assad Hany Abu-Assad ( ar, هاني أبو أسعد; born 11 October 1961) is a Palestinian-Dutch film director. He has received two Academy Award nominations: in 2006 for his film ''Paradise Now'', and again in 2013 for his film ''Omar''. Early life ...

* ''Soula'', dir: Salah Issaad * ''Europa'', dir: Haider Rashid * '' Yuni'', dir:

Kamila Andini Kamila Andini (born 6 May 1986) is an Indonesian film director known for her critically acclaimed debut ''The Mirror Never Lies''. Biography Andini was born on 6 May 1986 and is the eldest daughter of filmmaker Garin Nugroho. Although unintereste ...

* ''

Saloum The Kingdom of Saloum (Serer language: ''Saluum'' or ''Saalum'') was a Serer people, Serer/Wolof people, Wolof monarchy, kingdom in present-day Senegal. Its kings may have been of Mandinka people, Mandinka/Kaabu origin. The capital of Saloum wa ...

'', dir:

Jean Luc Herbulot Jean Luc Herbulot (born in 1983 in Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo) is a Congolese film director and screenwriter. Biography Herbulot started drawing and writing stories at an early age. His activities included writing, drawing, composing m ...

* ''Rupture'', dir: Hamzah Jamjoom * ''

Rehana Maryam Noor ''Rehana Maryam Noor'' ( bn, রেহানা মরিয়ম নূর) is a 2021 Bangladeshi film. The film is directed by Abdullah Mohammad Saad and produced by Jeremy Chua under the banner of Metro Video and co-produced by Sensemakers Pr ...

'', dir:

Abdullah Mohammad Saad Abdullah Mohammad Saad is a Bangladeshi film director, screenwriter and producer. His debut film is '' Live from Dhaka'' (2016), which received Silver Screen Awards for Best Director and Best Performance at the 27th Singapore International Film ...

* '' Hit the Road'', dir: Panah Panahi * ''Life Suits Me Well'', dir: Al Hadi Ulad-Mohand * ''Neighbours'', dir: Mano Khalil * ''Farha'', dir:

Darin J Sallam Darin J. Sallam (born 1987) is a Jordanian film director and writer of Palestinian roots. She has five award-winning short films to her name, including ''Still Alive'', ''The Dark Outside'' and “The Parrot”. ''Farha'' (2021) is her debut nar ...

* ''Sharaf'', dir: Samir Nasr * ''The Alleys'', dir: Bassel Ghandour ; Winners *Best Film: '' Brighton 4th'' by Levan Koguashvili – Georgia, Russia, Bulgaria, USA, Monaco. *Best Director: ''Europa'' by Haider Rashid – Iraq, Italy, Kuwait *Jury Prize: ''Hit the Road'' by Panah Panahi – Iran *Best Actor: Adam Ali for ''Europa'' – Iraq, Italy, Kuwait *Best Actress: Arawinda Kirana for '' Yuni'' – Indonesia, Singapore, France, Australia *Best Saudi Film: ''Rupture'' by Hamzah K. Jamjoom – Saudi Arabia *Audience Award: ''You Resemble Me'' by

Dina Amer Dina Amer is an Egyptian-American film director, writer, producer and journalist. Biography Amer was born and raised in the United States. Amer's work has been published by ''The New York Times'', ''CNN'', and ''VICE''. In 2011, she received t ...

– Egypt, France, U.S. *Immersive Silver Yusr: ''Samsara'' by

Hsin-Chien Huang Hsin-Chien Huang (traditional Chinese: 黃心健 born 13 January 1966 in Taipei) is an artist and director working in mixed media. Science, technology, new media, programming, and algorithms are tools he uses to bring the universe of his imaginat ...

– Taiwan *Immersive Gold Yusr: ''End of Night'' by David Adler – Denmark, France *Short Competition Golden Yusr: ''Tala’Vision'' by Murad Abu Eisheh – Jordan, Germany *Special Mention: ''Farha'' by Darin J. Sallam – Jordan *Best Cinematic Contribution: Amin Jafari for ''Hit the Road'' – Iran *Best Screenplay: ''Neighbours'' by Mano Khalil – Syria, Switzerland

References

External links

* 2019 establishments in Saudi Arabia Film festivals established in 2019 Film festivals in Saudi Arabia Annual events in Saudi Arabia Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema Tourist attractions in Jeddah Culture in Jeddah {{Saudi Arabia-stub

Organization

Festivals

2021 edition

See also

References

External links