"Red Sea Festival" For “Al-Youm”: Jeddah restores its cinematic glow

Recovers Jeddahthis year has its artistic brilliance as it hosts the fifth edition of The Red Sea International Film Festival, which takes place in the historic country listed on the UNESCO World Heritage , to reaffirm its position as a city that has embraced the seventh art for decades, and has contributed to shaping the memory of Saudi cinema.

On the sidelines of the press conference, festival officials confirmed in a special statement to “Al-Youm” that Jeddah was the cradle of Saudi cinema seventy years ago and today continues its path towards internationalism. They revealed that 111 films will be shown during the festival this year, including 16 films in the official competition, in addition to the participation of… A prominent Saudi woman with three films in the “Arab Masterpieces” section, stressing that the opening film “The Giant” embodies the story of boxer Naseem Hamid and dedicates the festival’s message of building bridges of communication between East and West

Memory of the Place

Firstly, the CEO of the Red Sea Film Festival, Faisal Beltoyor, explained that Jeddah was and still is an incubator of cinema and culture, and today we are in the heart of the country, a site that represents the memory of the place and the spirit of history. We bring back from During which he told the story of a city whose screen had been open to the world for more than seventy years, pointing out that Jeddah during the fifties, sixties and seventies was an active center for cinema in the Kingdom, as it hosted more than twenty cinemas, distributed among its old neighborhoods and suburbs, many of which were close to the historical area.

Baltoor added that for three decades, Jeddah was a vital center for cinema before the shows disappeared for years, And today it is returning to continue the journey through an international festival that attracts the world to its shores, to watch our local films and enjoy distinctive international cinematic experiences.”

Developing National Talents

Baltayur stressed that the festival this year is not limited to major shows, but rather pays great attention to developing national talents, through specialized training programs, most notably the (Rising Talents) program that was launched recently. He said: “This program is considered one of the most important Initiatives that we are proud of, as it aims to establish a new generation of Saudi filmmakers. We started with an age group ranging from ten to sixteen years, and we were surprised by the quality of the short films that reached us from different regions of the Kingdom in terms of idea and production.".

He explained that the festival will celebrate these works within a special program that will be shown during its activities that will be held from the 4th to the 13th of next December, stressing that the creativity presented by these young people reflects that Saudi cinema is moving confidently towards the future.

Festival Sections

While Antoine Khalifa, Director of the Arab and Classical Film Program at the Red Sea Film Festival, explained that this year’s edition witnesses 111 films participated, distributed across the festival’s various sections, including 16 films in the official competition, in addition to screenings within the “Arab and International Masterpieces” section.

Khalifa said to “Al-Youm”: “During the conference, we announced the list of participating films, including the Saudi film Migration, which is competing in the official competition, in addition to three prominent Saudi films in the Arab Masterpieces section: Lifeordeath, The Unknown, and Raheen, which reflects the strong presence of Saudi cinema this year."

He added that the opening film will be “The Giant” starring the actor Amir Al-Masry, explaining that the film embodies the story of boxer Naseem Hamid, who achieved global success despite the challenges he faced in his sporting career, indicating that the story aims to build bridges of understanding between the East and the West and provide an inspiring model of determination and success, concluding his speech by emphasizing that the Red Sea International Film Festival has become a global event that strengthens Jeddah’s position as a capital. Cinema in the region combines ancient history and renewed cultural ambition.

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