October 31, 2022 The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF), in partnership with VOX Cinemas and the MBC GROUP, today unveiled the program for its second edition, which will run from 1-10 December in Jeddah, nestled on the eastern shore of the Red Sea. The Festival will welcome filmmakers, talent, media, industry professionals, and film fans for a 10-day celebration of global cinema. The Red Sea IFF is thrilled to announce the opening night gala, What's Love Got to Do with It? directed by Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth, Bandit Queen), written by Jemima Khan and produced by STUDIOCANAL and Working Title. The Festival’s Closing Film is the world premiere of Valley Road from award-winning Saudi writer and director Khaled Fahd, starring Hamad Farhan, Naif Khalaf, and Aseel Omran. The program will feature 131 feature films and shorts from 61 countries in 41 languages from both established and emerging talent and will host 34 World Premieres, 17 Arab Premieres and 47 MENA Premieres, with a number of filmmakers and actors in attendance for many of the films. With more films expected to be added in the coming weeks. Legendary filmmaker Oliver Stone has been chosen to lead the jury of the Red Sea: Features Competition Jury. The three-time Academy award winner is behind some of the all-time masterpieces of cinema, including Scarface, The Doors, Wall Street, JFK, Midnight Express, Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Nixon and Natural Born Killers. The Red Sea: Competition will showcase the highest creative achievements from filmmakers in its Red Sea Feature and Shorts Competition sections. The line-up of 26 shorts and 16 features showcases an incredible array of talent across both the Arab, African and Asian world, showcasing some of the most exciting, unique and impressive work produced in the past year. Winners in each competition will be selected by esteemed juries and announced on 8 December. The Festival will also showcase the young voices shaping the filmmaking culture of Saudi Arabia, seven new Saudi features and 18 Saudi short films will be presented to the global film industry and local audiences. With Saudi feature ‘Valley Road’ taking the high-profile spot of closing the Festival along with two world premieres in the Red Sea: Competition, it’s a testament to the impressive filmmaking in the Kingdom.
