11 short films compete at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah
In a return that heralds a rich and diverse Arab cinema season, Historic Jeddah – the country, in an atmosphere that reflects the spirit of heritage and openness to World Cinema.
The competition includes eleven short films coming from Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates, to embody the new wave of promising Arab talent, and provide deep human visions that reflect the social and cultural reality of the region, within stories that vary between drama, contemplation, and symbolism, and highlight the richness of narrative voices in Arab cinema. Contemporary.
List of participating films:
- “Endangered” | Palestine | Directed by: Saeed Zagha
- A Palestinian surgeon returns to her home across the West Bank to find herself facing a pivotal moment that changes her life forever.
- “Empty Lands” | Egypt | Directed by: Karim Al-Din Al-Alfi
- An abandoned house, a mysterious past, and looming fear… An officer and his wife confront the place’s past, full of secrets.
- “Where to, Maryam!” | Morocco | Directed by: Amin Zariyouh
- In an attempt to restore a marital relationship, Maryam discovers that there are secrets in hearts that never sleep.
- “Umbilical Cord” | Emirates | Directed by: Ahmed Hassan Ahmed.
- A visual poem about hope and anxiety, through the story of a man racing against time amidst the morning calls.
- “With the Wind” | Morocco | Directed by: Inas Lahir
- A flower seller prepares to say goodbye… but an unexpected moment awakens life in him again.
- “Beyond Reason” | Iraq | Directed by: Lnia Noureddine
- A symbolic story of a good donkey who is excluded from his family, but chooses sacrifice to stay close… A tale of loyalty and betrayal.
- “Irtizaz” | Saudi Arabia | Directed by: Sarah Balghoneim
- In the middle of a funeral ceremony, a young divorced woman engages in a silent social competition to prove her worth as a woman in traditional societies.
- “Opening Ceremony” | Saudi Arabia | Directed by: Hussein Al-Mutlaq
- A young child on a symbolic mission during an official opening ceremony, collides with the conflicts of innocence and responsibility he inherited from his mother.
- “The Sea Remembers My Name” | Egypt | Directed by: Hussein Hossam
- A story of twins, loss, and a lost identity, in which nostalgia is mixed with deception in an attempt at parental acceptance.
- “And if they bombed here tonight?” | Lebanon | Directed by: Samir Suryani
- A couple experiences an anxious night amid the threat of raids, where feelings of fear and the desire to survive intersect.
- “You are swimming” | Lebanon | Directed by: Lilian Rahal
- A contemplative journey into grief and death, narrated by the director after the loss of her relative in a plane crash… a visual meditation on the circles of life.
Narrative renewal
The program reflects a deep desire for narrative renewal and presenting stories of a local character that mimic the concerns of the Arab citizen, but in a universal cinematic language. These films are not satisfied with telling stories, but rather seek to raise existential, social, and political questions, and invite us to contemplate the details of daily life from different angles. The Red Sea Festival, in its fifth edition, proves once again that it is a vital platform for the voice of new Arab cinema, a true laboratory for artistic experimentation, and a broad field for discovering the talents that will carry the torch of future cinema.
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