06/11/2025 - Unspooling from 4-13 December in Jeddah, the event will present over 100 films from all over the world, including 16 titles selected for the main competition strand

The fifth Red Sea International Film Festival, which will take place between 4 and 13 December in the coastal city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, will offer over 100 films from more than 70 countries, including 38 world premieres. The UK-US co-production Giant by Rowan Athale, with a cast led by Amir El-Masry and Pierce Brosnan, will open the event.

All of the screenings will take place for the second time in Al Balad, a historical part of Jeddah and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Sixteen films have been selected for the Red Sea: Competition strand, 11 of which were co-produced with 12 European countries. They include the Berlinale Competition title Yunan [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Ameer Fakher Eldin (Germany/Canada/Italy/Palestine/Qatar/Jordan/Saudi Arabia); The Stories by Abu Bakr Shawky (Egypt/France/Austria/Sweden), which will have its world premiere at Tallinn Black Nights later this month; and All That’s Left of You [+see also:
film review
interview: Cherien Dabis
film profile] by Cherien Dabis (Germany/Greece/Jordan/Cyprus/Palestine), previously screened at Sundance and Karlovy Vary.

Other titles going head to head include A Sad and Beautiful World [+see also:
film review
interview: Cyril Aris
film profile] by Cyril Aris (Lebanon/USA/Germany/Saudi Arabia/Qatar), Allah Is Not Obliged [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Zaven Najjar (France/Luxembourg/Belgium/Canada/Saudi Arabia), Hijra [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Shahad Ameen (Saudi Arabia/Iraq/Egypt/UK), Irkalla – Gilgamesh’s Dream [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji (Iraq/UK/France/United Arab Emirates/Saudi Arabia/Qatar), Lost Land [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Akio Fujimoto (Japan/France/Malaysia/Germany), Roqia [+see also:
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interview: Yanis Koussim
film profile] by Yanis Koussim (France/Algeria/Qatar/Saudi Arabia), Sink [+see also:
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film profile] by Zain Duraie (Jordan/Saudi Arabia/Qatar/France) and Truck Mama by Zippy Nyaruri (Kenya/South Africa/Saudi Arabia/Netherlands), which were all made with European partners and will vie for the Yusr Awards. Fionnuala Halligan, the newly appointed director of International Programs, said in a press release, “Our selection celebrates filmmakers who push the boundaries and expand the language of cinema – showing how creativity thrives when cultures meet.”

Other programme strands also include some European co-productions: the Toronto title Palestine 36 [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Annemarie Jacir (Palestine/UK/France/Denmark/Norway/Qatar/Saudi Arabia/Jordan) will be shown in Arab Spectacular, while the International Spectacular section has picked up the Toronto- and San Sebastián-screened Angelina Jolie-starrer Couture [+see also:
film review
interview: Alice Winocour, Louis Garrel
film profile] by Alice Winocour (France/USA); Farruquito - A Flamenco Dynasty by Santi Aguado and Reuben Atlas (Spain/USA), also freshly selected for Seville; and The Wizard of the Kremlin [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Olivier Assayas (France), which premiered at Venice and also got an airing at Toronto. Additionally, The Big Blue, a 1988 flick by Luc Besson (France/USA/Italy), is to be presented within the Red Sea: Treasures sidebar.

Finally, audiences will be able to enjoy two widely acclaimed movies in the Special Screenings strand: The Voice of Hind Rajab [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kaouther Ben Hania
film profile] by Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia/France), winner of the Silver Lion - Grand Jury Prize at Venice, and Sirât [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Óliver Laxe
film profile] by Óliver Laxe (Spain/France), the Jury Prize winner from Cannes.

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