29/11/2024 - Running from 5-14 December, the Saudi event taking place in Jeddah boasts 16 films in its competition line-up, a breadth of Saudi flicks and a multitude of critics’ darlings from around the world

Unspooling between 5 and 14 December in Jeddah, the fourth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival has completed its programme line-up, which spotlights 120 films from more than 80 countries. The Tale of Daye’s Family (Egypt/Saudi Arabia), from the Arab Spectacular strand, by Egyptian filmmaker Karim Elshenawy will open the festival. The 2024 edition also marks the gathering’s return from the Ritz Carlton Hotel to its first home in the historic district of Al-Balad, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Sixteen films make up the festival’s Red Sea: Competition line-up, which highlights films from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Standouts include the Locarno selection Red Path [+see also:
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film profile] by Lotfi Achour, the Venice pick Aïcha [+see also:
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film profile] by Mehdi M Barsaoui (Tunisia/France/Italy/Saudi Arabia/Qatar), Hanami [+see also:
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interview: Denise Fernandes
film profile] by Locarno Best Emerging Director Award winner Denise Fernandes (Switzerland/Portugal/Cape Verde), Locarno Special Jury awardee Moon [+see also:
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interview: Kurdwin Ayub
film profile] by Kurdwin Ayub (Austria) and the multi-fest selection To a Land Unknown [+see also:
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interview: Mahdi Fleifel
film profile] by Mahdi Fleifel (UK/Palestine/France/Greece/Netherlands/Germany/Qatar/Saudi Arabia).

The stylistically eclectic International Spectacular section will feature films including Pablo Larraín’s Maria [+see also:
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film profile] (France) by Mehdi Idir and Grand Corps Malade as well as My Way by Thierry Teston and Lisa Azuelos (France/USA); and several commercial works including Peter Chelsom's A Sudden Case of Christmas (Italy), a Danny DeVito-led remake of the 2022 film Improvvisamente Natale [+see also:
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The Festival Favourites section includes Pavlo Ostrikov’s U Are the Universe [+see also:
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interview: Pavlo Ostrikov
film profile] (Ukraine/Belgium), Carson Lund’s Eephus [+see also:
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film profile] (USA/France), Lawrence Valin’s Little Jaffna [+see also:
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interview: Lawrence Valin
film profile] (France), Sandhya Suri’s Santosh [+see also:
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interview: Sandhya Suri
film profile] (UK/Germany/France/India), Tumpal Tampubolon’s Crocodile Tears [+see also:
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film profile] (Indonesia/France/Singapore/Germany) and Guan Hu’s Un Certain Regard winner Black Dog (China).

The Arab Spectacular sidebar includes prolific Algerian director Merzak Allouache's Front Row [+see also:
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film profile] (Algeria/France/Saudi Arabia) and Ahd Kamel’s My Driver and I (Saudi Arabia/UK), among others. The Directors’ Fortnight pick East of Noon [+see also:
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interview: Hala Elkoussy
film profile] by Hala Elkoussy (Egypt/Netherlands/Qatar) and the documentary Yalla Parkour by Areeb Zuaiter (Sweden/Palestine/Qatar/Saudi Arabia) will play in the Red Sea: New Vision strand.

Several “In Conversation” sections will also be hosted, including with US actress-producer Viola Davis, Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Sami and acclaimed US filmmaker Spike Lee. Lee will also serve as president of this year’s feature competition jury. Programmes for families and children, series, shorts, retrospectives, and dedicated strands for new Saudi cinema round off the selection.

The full festival selection can be viewed on the festival’s website.