Saudi Arabias Red Sea Fest Unveils 2022 LineUp; Sets Oliver Stone As Jury President & ‘Whats Love Got To Do With It? As Opening Film

Oliver Stone will chair the main competition jury at the second Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia. is making good on his commitment to take on this role in 2020.

Born on July 4th, the Oscar winner and director of Born to Kill was previously announced as Jury President for the first festival of 2020, which was postponed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The festival, which runs from December 1-10 in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, unveiled most of its program for its second edition on Monday.

So far, a total of 131 feature and short films from 61 countries have been shown at the event. 17, the first regional and 47, the first MENA.

In the main competition, dedicated to the works of Arab, African and Asian directors, 15 films will be screened.

These include the world premiere of French-Moroccan director Omar Mulduiri's Boujad ou Samara , about a man who grew up in Paris and tries to find his place in a newly formed family in Morocco.

Two Saudi films also debuted in competition: Mohammed Al Salman's The Crow Song , about a man with a brain tumor when he meets the woman of his dreams, and Mo Allat's Inland Sands, about a young tobacconist who is mugged by gangsters. . . He goes home to his pregnant wife.

Our Lady of China Shop, directed by Angolan-African Ari Claver, is an allegory of the current situation in Africa and revolves around an imported plastic model of the Virgin Mary said to have special powers. The film premiered in Locarno in the summer.

Kenyan editor-turned-screenwriter-director Angela Wanjiku tells how a once-respected English teacher who was recently released from prison rebuilds her life in the rural Kenyan village of Shimoni, which translates to The Pit . The feature debuted on Discovery Lane in Toronto.

Other notable figures at the 2022 festival include Indonesian filmmaker Kamila Andini's post-independence women's drama Nana , which competed in Berlin; Lotfi Nathan's story of civil unrest in Tunisia, "Harka," which debuted at the critical screening of the sequel to Kang Un and Korean director Julie Jung's "Sohi " in Cannes.

The Venetian film by Syrian director Sudadeh Kadan Nezuha, The Last Queen and Adila Bendimerad by Algerian director Damien Annouri, Dirty Complex and Dangerous by Lebanese and French director Wissam Charf , Iraqi director Ahmed Yassin Al Daraji and Mountain Onion by Kazakh producer Eldar Yeshibanov .

Other contenders for this year's Indian Oscars include Mr. Nolin's Ode to Cinema, Iranian director Reza Zamir's Final Act and Childless Village , about an elderly filmmaker who returns to the village, where a previously unseen documentary film was filmed. . Infertility, finding all is not what it seems.

"The films selected for the Red Sea Competition, many of which have received critical support from the Red Sea Foundation, span a wide variety of genres and eras and are produced by extremely talented filmmakers," said director Antoine Califf. Arabic and classic cinema programs for RedSeaIFF.

"Arab actors excel in the most complex roles, directors identify characters in all their complexity, and suddenly we are faced with regret, redemption, courage, self-discovery and revenge, but love from all sides."

Kalem Aftab, Director of International Programs at RedCIFF, said the number of entries has increased significantly this year following the successful launch of the festival.

"Difficult decisions were made," he said. We are passionate about fantastic storytelling and this year's selection is of the highest quality, with deep stories and diversity from Asia, Africa and the Arab world.

Cinema opening, closing, red carpet

The festival celebrates Indian director Shekhar Kapur's cross-cultural romantic comedy What's That Got To Do With It? She opens the party with a red carpet.

Starring London-based filmmaker Lily James, the film was originally set to chronicle her journey to Lahore for an arranged marriage to her boyfriend (Shazad Lough) in Toronto.

Saudi writer-director Khalid Fahd's latest drama Valley Road has been announced.

The groundbreaking story follows the journey of a boy with autism growing up in a beautiful mountain village and setting off to meet a doctor in a nearby village.

Other Red Carpet Gala titles include Alkalat+ by Saudi director Fahad Alamary. The online series Spill , an anthology that has racked up 1.5 billion views over 22 episodes, presents four tales of intrigue and deception in an incredible setting.

On the red carpet will be Larry Saber's "All Roads to Rome ", "Hirakazu Kare-Eder Brook R", Martin McDonagh's "Banshee of Insharin", Park Chan-Wook's "The Decision to Leave" and " Empire of Light " by Simon zu see his Mendes, " How I Found Myself" Ziyada Alhusani. . . , Kamala by John Ikram Sayre, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish by Jewel Crawford, Queens by Yasmin Benkirane , The Rebels by Adil El-Arabi and Bilal Fala and The Triangular Triangle by Ruben Ostlund.

Besides the main competition and red carpet shows, there are other sidebars like Featured, New Saudi Movies/New Movies, Red Sea: Treasures, Red Sea: Arab & International Show, Red Sea: Family & Kids”, “Mer Rouge: Virtual Reality” and “Mer”. Rouge Mer: TV Series.

This edition of Red Sea: A New Vision is dedicated to filmmakers who are pushing the boundaries of creativity in a film genre that challenges audiences.

"Our programmers bring together the best of Arab and international cinema, with major galas showing the year's most anticipated films and an exclusive cast of incredible Saudi talent paving the way for our country's thriving industry," he explained. Mohammed Al Turki, CEO of Red Sea.

The festival also features panel discussions with award-winning filmmakers Fatih Akin, Gurinder Chad and Kawtar Ben Haniy, as well as Egyptian actress Mona Zaki and veteran Egyptian actor Hussein Fahmy.

industrial company

The festival will host the second edition of the Red Sea Hosiery Forum to support the growth of the television and film industry in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East and North Africa.

The event includes an exhibition area showcasing local businesses and film and television initiatives, a discussion program and a project market featuring 23 films by Arab and African directors.

Shivani Pandya, Managing Director of RedSeaIFF, said: “The country is quickly establishing itself as a hub for film, culture, arts and fashion and is becoming a hub for world-class film productions. Malhotra

“The Red Sea IFF is at the center of this shift, providing a platform for a new generation to showcase their energy and creativity. Through Red Sea Sock we are able to support filmmakers throughout their careers and throughout the performance cycle beyond our year-round programs".

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