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“BLACK DOG” directed by Guan Hu
Twelve films have been hand-picked as favourites this year, presenting global perspectives and shared human experiences through innovative storytelling techniques and fresh narratives.
The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF) revealed this year’s Festival Favourites — a selection of twelve standout films that have received accolades and awards while captivating audiences and critics around the globe. Thes...
RSIFF, 23, 13: Get Lodged in the Red Sea Labs, interact with agents and reagents and MAKE YOUR FILM!
The Red Sea Labs announced the open call for the 5th edition of The Lodge program. A long-term residency programme, in collaboration with Torino FilmLab, and sponsored by Film AlUla, offering an intensive creative and professional film development experience. AlUla is a happening city. Hollywood productions shot in AlUla include the Gerard Butler-led action-thriller Kandahar, directed by Ric R...
RSIFF, 11: The Origin-al Don Quixote, in a Ferrari
At an average length of 100 minutes, and a 14-hour day, which is what is available to an average person, after accounting for sleeping, eating, travel, etc., I should think four. Spot on. RSIFF allowed you to book 4 tickets a day, 48 hours in advance, as the clock clocks. But there are the riders, which mean, “but….”. Shows began only at four o’clock or a little before that, in the afternoon, and continued till late i...
RSIFF: Souk, the appetiser, and the dessert in the desert
In Arabic, Souk is market. In India we have a Film Bazaar at Goa during the International Film Festival of India, every year. Most major festivals in the world hold a film market, where film-makers and persons connected with the film industry set-up stalls or booths. A lot of business takes place here and a lot of projects are green-lighted. And the two halls, Violet and Orchid, at the Ritz Carlton, were just the place for RSIFF to loc...
RSIFF, 08: Keep counting the celebrities, and be blown over
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. So...
RSIFF 06: 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, ...
RSIFF 05: 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 Ib...
Get Lodged in the Red Sea Labs, interact with agents and reagents and MAKE YOUR FILM!
The Red Sea Labs announced the open call for the 5th edition of The Lodge program. A long-term residency programme, in collaboration with Torino FilmLab, and sponsored by Film AlUla, offering an intensive creative and professional film development experience. AlUla is a happening city. Hollywood productions shot in AlUla include the Gerard Butler-led action-thriller Kandahar, directed by Ric Roman Waugh, and...
Bakhtawar Mazhar: In Flames of Glory
A day before the awards were announced, declaring In Flames the best film, at the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF), I was face–to-face with Bakhtawar Mazhar, one of the protagonists of In Flames, her feature debut, a film that had made a tremendous impression on me. This, a face-to-face with a Pakistani actress, had never happened before, and I was not going to let this opportunity go by. We got into a car, and started talking.
“M...
RSIFF: Winners Declared, the Festival over, or is it?
Red Sea International Film Festival was to be held from 29 November to 09 December. But when we got our invitations to the closing night, it was indicated as 07 December. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? But if you have attended other film festivals, like the Mumbai Film Festival (held by MAMI), you would not be surprised. Actually, it is a great idea. Announce the awards two days before the closing, so that the invited guests do not have t...
RSIFF: The Origin-al Don Quixote, in a Ferrari
At an average length of 100 minutes, and a 14-hour day, which is what is available to an average person, after accounting for sleeping, eating, travel, etc., I should think four. Spot on. RSIFF allowed you to book 4 tickets a day, 48 hours in advance, as the clock clocks. But there are the riders, which mean, “but….”. Shows began only at four o’clock or a little before that, in the afternoon, and continued till late in t...
RSIFF: Foundation, Fun d-a-mentals, Funding, Figures and Films
A major initiative of Saudi Arabia in developing film production and co-production is the Red Sea Film Fund. Supporting Development, Production, and Post-Production of Arab and African Films. The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation is a non-profit cultural organization registered in Saudi Arabia. The foundation is chaired by Jomana Al Rashid, the president of the foundation is the Saudi producer Mohammed Al Turki.
The Red Sea Fund w...
RSIFF: Souk, the appetiser, and the dessert in the desert
In Arabic, Souk is market. In India we have a Film Bazaar at Goa during the International Film Festival of India, every year. Most major festivals in the world hold a film market, where film-makers and persons connected with the film industry set-up stalls or booths. A lot of business takes place here and a lot of projects are green-lighted. And the two halls, Violet and Orchid, at the Ritz Carlton, were just the place for RSIFF to loc...
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
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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...
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About Red Sea International Film Festival
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