On December 6, the red carpet will roll out for this year’s edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival, scheduled to take place at Jeddah Old Town, better known as "Al Balad," home to some of Saudi Arabia's heritage sites with a rich history in sea trade and immigration. Recently, the first slate of short films was announced for the event and attendees will surely be able to watch them. There are 15 short films in total, all touching on different genres such as documentary, animation, fiction, and more, and all produced by talented Saudi Arabian filmmakers.
The planned screening is part of the New Saudi/New Cinema Shorts program meant to showcase up-and-coming talents. As quoted by Arab News, Edouard Waintrop, artistic director of the film festival, stated that the "New Saudi/New Cinema is an opportunity for the Red Sea Film Festival to showcase the diverse aspects of Saudi society, celebrating the creativity and originality of emerging Saudi filmmakers. The Shorts program in particular allows unique and diverse work to be displayed, and we’re looking forward to sharing these works with local and international audiences."
Some of the short films selected for this year’s festival are: "Al-Rufea," "Acceptance Land," "Covida, the 19th," "Hallucinated," "Hide and Seek," "Little Bird," "Panting," "Red Circle," "The Day I Lost Myself," "The Jakar," "The Palm Witch," and “Whisper Down the Lane.” Indeed, the Red Sea International Film Festival not only takes pride in running at one of the Kingdom's heritage sites, it is also focused on highlighting Arab culture and talent on a global stage.
This year’s edition of the film festival won't just be a great way to watch the best Saudi films, it will take us behind-the-scenes to see how films are made. The event will host a community program aimed to educate movie enthusiasts on the fields of acting, directing, and producing, which will also come with screenings and masterclasses.
