Red Sea International Film Festival

The Red Sea International Film Festival (Arabic: مهرجان البحر الأحمر السينمائي الدولي) is a film festival launched in 2019 and held in Jeddah, western Saudi Arabia. The festival mainly focuses on new storytelling trends, as well as emerging talents from Saudi Arabia, the Arab world 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 6 December to 15 December 2021. The second edition of the festival was held between 1 and 10 December 2022, and featured the best films from Saudi Arabia, the region and a curated selection of titles from around the world.

History

The Red Sea International Film Festival was established in 2019, as a plan to revive Saudi cinema. Originally scheduled to launch in March 2020, it was cancelled due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. It inaugurated its first edition in November 2021, with the selection of Joe Wright's Cyrano.

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

The first edition of the festival opened on 6 December 2021 with Joe Wright's Cyrano at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 138 films from 67 countries were screened at the festival, which included 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 propaganda.

Red Sea Competition

Brighton 4th, dir: Levan Koguashvili
Communion, dir: Nejib Belkadhi
PAKA (River of Blood), dir: Nithin Lukose
Huda's Salon, dir: Hany Abu-Assad
Soula, dir: Salah Issaad
Europa, dir: Haider Rashid
Yuni, dir: Kamila Andini
Saloum, dir: Jean Luc Herbulot
Rupture, dir: Hamzah Jamjoom
Rehana Maryam Noor, dir: Abdullah Mohammad Saad
Hit the Road, dir: Panah Panahi
Life Suits Me Well, dir: Al Hadi Ulad-Mohand
Neighbours, dir: Mano Khalil
Farha, dir: Darin J Sallam
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 – Egypt, France, U.S.
Immersive Silver Yusr: Samsara by Hsin-Chien Huang – 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