Eleven short Arab films compete in the Red Sea Film Festival

 

 

The Red Sea International Film Festival revealed the list of Arab short films participating in the official competition for its fifth session, which includes eleven films from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates. To be shown during the period from 4 to 13 December 2025 AD in the heart of historic Jeddah, “Al-Balad”. Its social and cultural issues.

List of selected films:

• “Endangered” Directed by Saeed Zagha ​​(Palestine)

On her way back to her home after a night shift, a Palestinian surgeon crosses a bumpy road in the West Bank, only to find herself facing a fateful moment that changes the course of her life.

• “Empty lands” Directed by Karim El Din Alfy (Egypt)

A loyal officer and his wife are rewarded with a house in a deserted area, but the discovery of traces of a missing girl brings to the surface the past of the place and instills fear in them.

• «Where to, Mary!» Directed by Amine Zariouh (Morocco)

An emotional journey for a woman who tries to restore her relationship with her husband after visiting a dying friend, only to find herself facing buried family secrets.

• «umbilical cord» Directed by Ahmed Hassan Ahmed (United Arab Emirates)

A poetic journey into anxiety, hope, and the hidden bonds that unite people, through the story of a man racing against time on a morning full of calls and fears.

• “With the wind” Directed by Ines Lahir (Morocco)

An old flower seller decides to close his last shop, but an unexpected meeting brings back hidden feelings and gives him a poetic farewell moment.

• “Beyond reason” Directed by Nia Noureddine (Iraq)

A symbolic story about "Mikhak" The good donkey who is ostracized from his family and then sacrifices himself to stay close to them, in a touching story of hope and disappointment.

• «Irtzaz» Directed by Sarah Balghoneim (Saudi Arabia)

At a funeral, a young divorced woman finds herself in the middle of a social competition to prove her worth as a potential wife, in a critique of social classes and the view of women.

• «Opening Ceremony» Directed by Hussein Al-Mutlaq (Saudi Arabia)

A young child is chosen to carry scissors at the opening ceremony of a cultural center, to go through an internal struggle between his innocence and a secret duty that his mother assigned him.

• “The sea remembers my name” Directed by Hussein Hossam (Egypt)

The tragedy of twins redefines loss and identity, when one of them tries to live in the name of his drowned brother in order to seek his father’s recognition.

• «And if they bombed here tonight?» Directed by Samir Seriani (Lebanon)

A sleepless night that a Lebanese couple lives between fear and nostalgia, in light of the threat of air strikes, and the struggle to stay or leave.

• «Are you swimming?» By Lilian Rahhal (Lebanon)

After losing her cousin in a plane crash, the director embarks on a meditative journey about grief and the cycles of nature, in a visual meditation on the meaning of loss.

 

 The Red Sea International Film Festival

celebrates The Red Sea International Film Festival showcases the best productions of Arab and international cinema in Jeddah. Mermaid of the Red Sea. The festival’s cinematic program includes various categories and sections of films from all over the world, starting with hidden cinematic treasures restored with the latest display technologies, and ending with films by promising talents. The festival also hosts an elite group of artistic talents, filmmakers and industry professionals from the Arab world and the rest of the world through its platform, in addition to many film competitions in the long and short categories, hosting concerts, and hosting many seminars and workshops aimed at supporting, developing and encouraging emerging talent.