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5 things to know about the inaugural Saudi international film festival
Red Sea International Film Festival has announced programme details, competition line-up and industry initiatives of its first edition. It will be organised by the Red Sea Film Foundation, which will be chaired by Minister of Culture Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan.
The Red Sea International Film Festival will be held in Jeddah.
Film screenings: KSA’s first international film festival takes place on March 12–21 in Jeddah, with the aim of building a solid foundation for the film industry and build connections between the Arab region and the world. Festival authorities said that a total of 107 features and short films will be screened.
Creative competition: The selection includes 16 films in-competition, seven out-of-competition titles, 15 retrospectives and classic works, five immersive/VR experiences, 11 pictures in new Saudi/new cinema, 13 titles in the short film competition and 23 best of the year films.
Films from all over the world: Participating countries in the competition include Angola, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Columbia, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Kosovo, Lebanon, Mongolia, Nigeria, Philippines, KSA, Spain and USA. There will be cash awards totalling $250,000 for the winning films.
Immersive experience: Attendees will get a chance to encounter installations at Red Sea’s ‘immersive cinema’, which aims to mesmerise audiences. Commissions by dynamic digital artists will embrace Jeddah Old Town with sound installations, holographic experiences and two-channel experiments.
The legend comes to Red Sea: Legendary movie maker Oliver Stone will serve as the jury president of the international competition at the festival. He is behind some of the all-time great works in cinema, penning Scarface and Midnight Express, as well as Platoon and Natural Born Killers.
