The first ever Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF), launched in partnership with VOX Cinemas, MBC Group and Saudia Airlines was inaugurated in Jeddah recently. The premiere edition of the event also unveiled the programme for the first edition.
Running from December 6-15 in Jeddah’s UNESCO World Heritage Site old-town, the festival will be attended by luminaries from the film industry, media, industry professionals, as well as fans for a period of 10 days.
The event that celebrates global cinema will also feature Cyrano, a musical romantic drama directed by award-winning British director Joe Wright. The closing of the show will be equally resplendent with world premiere of acclaimed Egyptian director Amr Salama’s Bara El Manhag.
“This is truly a landmark moment as we launch our first international Film Festival to celebrate original cinematic voices and showcase an extensive selection of films from around the world to local, regional and international audiences. The Festival will also serve as a launchpad for young Saudi and Arab talent, support the development of our flourishing industry, introduce international Festival guests to our vibrant creative scene and bring together the global film industry to network, share knowledge and forge partnerships. We look forward to welcoming everyone to Jeddah for a packed programme of screenings, events and much more,” said Mohammed Al-Turki, RedSeaIFF’s Chairman of the Committee.
As many as 138 feature films and shorts from 67 countries in 34 languages will be featured at the event. These will include established, as well as emerging talent. In fact, there will be 25 world premieres, 48 Arab premieres and 17 GCC premieres at the event.
Additionally, a range of new Saudi films will be shown and will feature 27 new films from an exciting wave of Saudi filmmakers.
