An exciting film festival has made its way to the streets of Jeddah
Think public screenings and film-making workshops, all part of The Red Sea International Film Festival…
The Red Sea International Film Festival is bringing film screenings and masterclasses to Jeddah as part of an exciting programme to encourage and support local film talent.
The programme, called Cinema Hara (which translates to ‘alley’ or ‘lane’) is the first of its kind to take place in the city and is part of an effort to make the film industry accessible to young people in Saudi Arabia. These film-making masterclasses feature six local directors shooting a scene in front of a live audience, where attendees will take part in the process – either as extras or crew members.
Meanwhile, several films, including The Book of Sun and Baghdad Messi, are being screened in public cinemas in various Jeddah neighbourhoods until the end of October. Keep an eye on the festival’s Instagram page for updated movie schedules.
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The Red Sea Film Festival’s new date
The grassroots programmes are part of the big build up to the main event in December where the annual film festival is finally scheduled to take place in Jeddah after it was postponed in March 2020 due to the pandemic.
Confirmed for December 6 and 15, The Red Sea International Film Festival will showcase a variety of contemporary international and Arab cinema, Saudi features, shorts and experimental films, retrospectives, and future-oriented AR and VR experiences. A major focus will be to support and nurture Arab film-making talent and grow the industry. Early-bird tickets are now available to purchase.
The Red Sea Film Festival has also announced a $14 million fund to support Arab cinema and is already supporting 14 Arabic feature films, and aims to support 100 film and TV projects in the coming months.
For more information on the festival and its programme, visit redseafilmfest.com
Images: Instagram