Attention cinema fans. The Red Sea Film Festival is on now. If you’re interested for the latest and greatest in movies, this is your event.
Marking its third edition, the Red Sea Film Festival 2023 is an internationally recognised event offering film enthusiasts, filmmakers, and stars the opportunity to put their best foot forward. It’s set to be lights, camera, action until December 9 in the Red Sea city where the best of the best will showcase their work.
Here’s everything to know about the event and how you can attend.
Red Sea Film Festival
The Red Sea Film Festival is a celebratory event dedicated to filmmakers, film enthusiasts and film stars. It is one of the biggest film events in Saudi with its debut appearance flashing into the Red Sea city in 2021 followed by the second edition in 2022. The 2023 edition will mark the third season of the film-centric event bringing local and global recognition of regional and international icons in the industry of film.
Red Sea Film Festival 2023
The theme of the 2023 event is “Your Story, Your Festival”. The festival is sectioned into four areas including:
- Your Films Your Festival
- Your Stories Your Festival
- Your Connections Your Festival
- Your Culture Your Festival
The Red Sea Film Festival 2023 is also shining a spotlight on films made in the MENA region. This year, it includes 36 feature-length and short films from Saudi.
Red Sea Film Festival locations
You can now check out the full schedule of films at three main locations including Hayy Jameel, The Ritz-Carlton and VOX Cinema. Here is the full list of venues:
- Hayy Jameel Cinema
- Red Sea Galas The Ritz-Carlton
- Souk Cinema at The Ritz-Carlton
- VOX Cinema 1 Red Sea Mall
- VOX Cinema 2 Red Sea Mall
- VOX Cinema 3 Red Sea Mall
- VOX Cinema 4 Red Sea Mall
- VOX Cinema 5 Red Sea Mall
- VOX Cinema 6 Red Sea Mall
- VOX Cinema Imax 7 Red Sea Mall
Red Sea Film Festival tickets
Red Sea Film Festival tickets are available for under SAR50 and can now be purchased on ticketingboxoffice.com.
Red Sea Film Festival 2023 events
Festival Favorites programme
This programme includes 21 of this year’s critical and commercial hits from around the world to be highlighted at the Red Sea Film Festival 2023. Award-winning filmmakers and actors include:
- Anna Kendrick (Woman of the Hour)
- David Oyelowo (Producer of Allihopa: The Dalkurd Story)
- Ellen Burstyn and Ewan McGregor (Mother Couch)
- Serena and Venus Williams (Executive Producers of Copa 71)
- Jennifer Esposito (Fresh Kills)
- Laetitia Colombani (The Braid).
Red Sea: Treasures programme
This programmes includes seven classic movies, many shown in cinema for the first time in Saudi on newly restored prints.
- Intisar Al Shabab (Egypt, 1941)
- Afreet Merati (Egypt, 1968)
- The Young Girls of Rochefort (France, 1967)
- Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (Germany, Turkey 2005)
- Lost In La Mancha (UK, 2002)
- He Dreams of Giants (UK, 2019)
- City of God (Brazil, France, and Germany, 2002).
The International Spectacular programme
This programmes consists of brand new international blockbusters, all receiving their MENA premieres here, including Michael Mann’s Ferrari, starring Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari, Sofia Coppola’s biopic Priscilla, Ava Duvernay’s drama Origin, Yann Mounir Demange’s short Dammi, starring Riz Ahmed.
The Arab Spectacular programme
A programme dedicated to a diverse series of 11 regional films including:
- Tamer Ruggli’s acclaimed debut Back to Alexandria, the story of a daughter and mother overcoming estrangement.
- The first film of the festival, HWJN, is a fantasy romance in which Arabic folklore is set within present-day Jeddah.
- The humorous thriller NAGA follows a teenage girl stranded in the desert pursued by a rabid camel.
Red Sea: New Vision programme
The last programme is made up of six exciting new Arab and International films including the world premiere of Iraq’s Invisible Beauty and In The Shadow Of Beirut.
Competitions
This includes 17 international films in competition, both narrative and documentary, featuring films from Asia, Africa, and the Arab world. The selection showcases innovative filmmaking and great storytelling with the prizes awarded by an international jury. Films include the world premiere of Norah, the first movie to be shot entirely at AlUla in Saudi.
Red Sea Film Festival: Families and Children programme
Five new films chosen specifically for families and the youngest cinema-goers, including the world premiere of Damien Hauser’s Kenya-set epic After the Long Rains, Cynthia Sharaihay’s Saleem, Mohammad Hamzei’s drama Captain, Benoît Chieux’s Sirocco Et Le Royaume Des Courants D’air, and Farzad and Kianoush Dalvand’s animation Three Little Kungpoo Goats.
Red Sea Film Festival: Series
Previews of four new television series, including the world premiere of docu-series South Africa Eats, which explores the country’s diverse cuisines, Nima Javidi’s The Actor, Ghazaleh Golbakhsh’s Miles From Nowhere, and Lee Jung-Gon’s Korean thriller The Deal.
Red Sea Film Festival 2023: Shorts Competition
14 international filmmakers showcase their talents in short films.
Arab Shorts in Competition
11 Arab short films celebrating the richness and diversity of Arab storytelling.
New Saudi, New Cinema: Shorts
19 films ranging from 5 minutes to 44 minutes in length, all of which were produced by Saudi teams, with Saudi nationals as the lead creatives, with most having been shot inside Saudi.
From SAR40. Thu Nov 30-Sat Dec 9. Various locations including VOX Cinema Red Sea Mall and Red Sea Galas at the Ritz-Carlton, redseafilmfest.com.
More amazing events coming
The FIFA Club World Cup is coming to KSA
Jeddah is hosting the footie event.
Jeddah Corniche Circuit is hosting weekly activities
Plan your next holiday.
Saudi will host the Asian Cup
The football excitement continues.
