Opening the act was Yasir Al Yasiri’s HWJN, with its world première and the screening was attended by the director and lead cast: Nour Alkhadra, Baraa Alem, Naif Aldaferi, Alanoud Saud, Mohsen Mansour and Shaimaa Al Tayeb. Jury President Baz Lurhmann was in attendance, with his jury - Joel Kinnaman, Freida Pinto, Amina Khalil, Paz Vega, Hana Alomair and Fatih Akin. Some members of the jury are very familiar to Indian audiences, and I am some more will get familiar soon.
The...
Competition Section films that I saw, and my opinions about them.
THE TEACHER
Palestinian school-teacher Basem (Saleh Bakri) grapples with personal devastation, after a tragic incident involving his son, who dies in custody merely suspected of participation in a protest. His life takes an unexpected turn when he forms a deep connection with Adam, one of his traumatised students, who has suffered personal losses in the ongoing conflict. He also develops an unexpected bond with British s...
Halle Berry on the RSIFF red carpet
...and we have some more for you!
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Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF) will host Academy Award-winning actor
Adrien Brody (The Pianist, Succession) In Conversation with Red Sea Film Festival Friday December 8th 15h00, Vox Cinema 1, Red Sea Mall
Adrien Brody won the Academy Award and Cesar Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of real-life Holocaust survivor Wladislaw Szpilman in The Pianist, making him,...
RSIFF: Competing against the best
I wrote about Insha’Allah, a Boy in the last instalment. Now I shall talk about the other competition films I have seen.
BEHIND THE MOUNTAINS
A meta-physical film that starts with a man entering the office where he works, and smashing the furniture. He then jumps out of the window, and behold! He survives the fall. The man is Rafik, is a desperate man. He is now convinced he can fly, and is determined, in the face of his family scepticism, to prove to h...
RSIFF: Raising the curtain, well begun is half done
At the Spectacular festival, the opening film had to be one from the Spectacular Gala. They chose a supernatural comedy, called Hjwn. In attendance were music video specialist Yasir Alyasiri (Iraqi director; producer writer On Borrowed Time-2018, 122-2019, Murk Light 2012-3), Nour Alkhadra (actress), Baraa Alem (actor), Naif Aldaferi (actor) and Shaimaa Al Tayeb (actress). Based on the best-selling Saudi Arabian fantasy novel by Ibraheem Abb...
RSIFF: Elusive interviews, while the stars emerge from the Red Sea
Some three weeks before the festival began, while still in Mumbai, I thought of doing an exclusive interview with Shivani Pandya Malhotra, and some 2-3 other curtain-raisers. Now this could only be done via video or audio or email. I was ready for any of the three modes. But I had no way of contacting these officials, and approached the PR agency to help me out, which said that organising interviews were strictly its d...
RSIFF: A Colourful Ocean of remarkable films at the Red Sea
RSIFF: A Colourful Ocean of remarkable films at the Red Sea
A film festival named after the Red Sea? Where is the Red Sea? Let me see…it touches Eritrea, Djibouti, Egypt and Jeddah. A film festival in Jeddah? Ok, so Jeddah is by the sea, and a good location to hold a film festival. A film festival organised in Saudi Arabia? You will be surprised.
Incidentally, this was not the first edition, but the third. For me, t...
Just watch the impressive brand signage for the festival along the road as we go by. I was truly impressed, as each year. This video was filmed after the closing.
Size matters at RSIFF, startind with the Ritz Carlton itself, and the gardens, hotspot for the festival!
Clearly
...
THE RED SEA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2023 CLOSING NIGHT AND AWARDS
Festival Celebrates Biggest Edition to Date, Dream Scenario Announced As Final Festival Gala
The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF) marked the closing of its third edition with a screening of Micheal Mann’s Ferrari, a Red Sea International Film Financing project, and revealed the winners of its highly anticipated Yusr Awards. The festival also welcomed Hollywood icon Nicola...
Nicolas Cage is an actor, director, and producer whose remarkable versatility has led to great success across all genres for over four decades. Cage can currently be seen in theaters in A24's critically acclaimed Dream Scenario from director Kristoffer Borgli. Other recent work includes, the award-winning drama Pig, the crowd-pleasing comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and the ground-breaking horror thriller Mandy. During his early career, Cage starred in a variety of classic fil...
Arrival, arrivals, into the night: feel the beat and the vibrant energy of a growing market !
Arab Cinema Center (ACC)
2 supported places on the International Film Festival Rotterdam Producers Lab
Saudi Winner: Ghaidaa Abuazzah (BY HASNAA’S SIDE)
Arab Winner: Fatma Racha Shehadeh (THE GIRL AND MISSING BED)
MAD Solutions
50,000 USD to a project in development, in production or in post production.
Winner: NOSTALGIA: A LIFE IN FIRST CHAPTERS by...
THURSDAY, 7TH DECEMBER PRESS CONFERENCES
AHLAM EL AESER Press Conference: 10:30 Ritz Carlton Press Conference Room
THURSDAY, 7TH DECEMBER PRESS JUNKETS
FEVER DREAM Press Junket: 11:30 - 13:30 - Festival Gardens
ROXANE Press Junket: 11:00 - 13:00 - Festival Gardens
OMEN Press Junket: 11:00 - 13:00 - Festival Gardens
MOTHER OF ALL LIES Press Junket: 11:00 - 13:00 - Festival Gardens
SNOW IN MIDSUMMER Press Junket: 11:00 - 13:00 - Festival Gardens
THE DE...
Red Sea International Film Festival, 2023: A royal pilgrimage for film-buffs
On the registration form, there was question, ‘Will you be going to the Medina pilgrimage?’ I wasn’t, so I typed, “No”. On the Saudi Airlines direct flight from Mumbai to Jeddah, the man seated behind me asked me the same question. “I could take you to Medina. It is only 480 kms from Jeddah, but at 180 kms per hour, we will take you there in no time.” Turned out that he was a...
VOX Cinemas, the MENA region’s largest cinema operator, is honoured to be awarded one of the first licenses to operate cinemas in Saudi Arabia. Its brand-new cinema located at Red Sea Mall - Jeddah is one of the top class Festival hubs for screenings during RSIFF
VOX Cinemas is delivering on an ambitious plan to bring its world-class cinema entertainment portfolio to Saudi Arabia and support the growth of audio-visual and creative talent across the Kingdom. take a look at the ambiance a...
Three films have been shortlisted for this year's Arab Critics' Awards for European Films, which were launched by European Film Promotion (EFP) and the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) five years ago.
Io Capitano by Matteo Garrone (Italy) / Fallen Leaves by Aki Kaurismäki (Finland) / Lost Country by Vladimir Perišić (Serbia)
From a total of 25 submitted European films, the three finalists are coming from Finland (Fallen Leaves), Italy (Io Capitano) and Serbia (Lost ...
THE FESTIVALS BEAT MAKER ! SHARING MOTION AND EMOTION SINCE 1995
Filmfestivals.com covers RSIFF with online dailies: take centre stage
RSIFF November 30 till December 9, 2023.
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RED SEA International Film Festival in action RSIFF DAI...
The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF) is delighted to announce the winners of the Red Sea Souk Awards - vital funding and in-kind grants to develop and boost new talent from Saudi, Arab and African directors. Three juries deliberated to finally select nine winning feature ideas and two TV series, whose creative visions will now benefit from generous prizes awarded by the Red Sea Fund and its award partners.
A total of 24 new film projects screened as part of the Red Sea ...
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6TH:
PRESS SCREENING Arab Spectacular - A NOSE AND THREE EYES (10:30 - Souk Cinema at the Ritz Carlton)
Arab Spectacular - FEVER DREAM (17:35 - Red Sea Gala Theatre)
Arab Spectacular - A NOSE AND THREE EYES (21:35 - Red Sea Gala Theatre)
WEDNESDAY, 6TH DECEMBER PRESS CONFERENCES
A NOSE AND THREE EYES Press Conference: 12:00 Ritz Carlton Press Conference Room
WEDNESDAY, 6TH DECEMBER PRESS JUNKETS
THE TEACHE...
Unfolding on its fourth day, the Red Sea International Film Festival continued its cinematic celebration with a diverse array of events and films that pay tribute to the dynamic film industry. The day was marked by insightful seminars and a dialogue session featuring the esteemed Egyptian actress, Amina Khalil.
The grand screen played host to exclusive screening on both regional and international fronts, notably the world premiere of the series “Miles from Nowhere” and the debut scr...
Radar Pictures and Bandits Roost In Development on Feature Film Adaptation
Based on the Best-Selling Children’s Book Weslandia
High School Musical’s Kenny Ortega to Direct
Radar Pictures and Bandits Roost Entertainment are in development on the feature film adaptation of Weslandia , the international best selling children’s book by Newbury Award winner Paul Fleischman.
Award-winning, hit franchise director Kenny Ortega (the High School Musical trilogy, Disney&r...
So cool to find Will Smith attending the third edition of RSIFF in Jeddah! I had the priviledge to work with him in Cannes and Deauvile Festival for ID4 a few years back! (I am trying to not remember my golf score when we played together!
...
Catherine Martin, one of the greatest costume designer in my opinion, multi-awarded for her work she has received 4 Oscars (and nine nominations). I(Bruno Chatelin) indirectly worked with her when I released Romeo and Juliet in France for Fox.
She was in Jeddah for the third edition of RSIFF, in her masterclass she discussed many aspects of her amazing carreer including her latest contribution to Baz Luhrmann's films: ELVIS...
Enjoy her elegant conversation.
Catherine M...
Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF) will host iconic actors Andrew Garfield (Tick, Tick, Boom!, Hacksaw Ridge) In Conversation with Red Sea Film Festival CEO, Mohammed Al-Turki; and Nicolas Cage (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Dream Scenario) In Conversation with celebrated journalist Raya Abirached (“Scoop with Raya”).
Thursday December 7th
Timings:
Andrew Garfield (14h00, Ritz Carlton Souk Cinema)
Nicolas Cage (16h00, Ritz Carlt...
Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF) hosted Decemeber 4 global megastar Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Love and Thunder, Rush) for a fireside chat In Conversation session with fellow Australian and current Red Sea IFF Jury President, writer, director and producer Baz Luhrmann.
After his massive success in the Marvel Universe franchise, Hemsworth teamed up with the Russo Brothers yet again for the Netflix original film Extraction making history for the streaming service. Bringing ...
