Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Fest Unveils 2023 Selection As It Pushes On With Third Edition Amid Israel-Hamas Conflict

Melanie Goodfellow
·6 min read

Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival has unveiled it 2023 line-up and theme as it maintains its third edition against the backdrop of the escalating Israel-Gaza Conflict. (scroll down for full list)

The edition, running from November 30 to December 9 in the port city of Jeddah, will unfold under the theme of “Your Story, Your Festival.”

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Among the key sections announced on Monday was the Red Sea International Film Festival: In Competition section which will showcase 17 narrative and documentary features from Asia, Africa, and the Arab world.

Contenders include UK-Palestinian director Farah Nabulsi critically-acclaimed West Bank-set first feature The Teacher, Tunisian-Moroccan filmmaking couple Afef Ben Mahmoud and Khalil Benkirane’s Atlas Mountains-set, theatre troupe road movie Backstage, Tawfik Alzaidi’s Norah, which is billed as the first Saudi feature shot in the country’s growing location hub of AlUla, and Iranian director Parviz Shahbazi’s drama Roxana, for which its lead Yasna Mirtahmasb won the best actor in Tokyo last week.

The festival reconfirmed Baz Luhrmann as president of the jury, which was first announced back in September. His jury has yet to be unveiled.

The festival’s Special Screenings sidebar features French director Maïwenn’s Johnny Depp starring costume romance Jeanne du Barry (which was one of the first international films to be financed by the Red Sea Film Foundation) as well as Kaouther Ben Hania’s hybrid work Four Daughters, co-winner of Cannes’ L’Oeil d’Or documentary prize and Tunisia’s submission for Best International film this year.

In other key sections, the 11-title Arab Spectacular sidebar will showcase Tamer Ruggli’s acclaimed mother and daughter drama Back to Alexandria, Iraqi Dubai-based director Yasir Al Yasiri’s groundbreaking fantasy HWJN, and Meshal Al Jaser’s humorous thriller NAGA.

Monday’s announcement dispels questions over whether the event would be cancelled due to the escalating Israel-Hamas conflict, sparked by the latter’s terror attacks on Southern Israel on October 7, in which 1,400 people were killed and more than 240 hostages were taken.

Multiple Middle East and North African film festivals have abandoned their 2023 fall editions in recent weeks out of solidarity for the population of Gaza, where more than 9,000 people have been killed by Israel’s retaliatory military campaign aimed at eradicating Hamas and bringing home the hostages.

With three weeks to go until its opening and no sign of an abatement in the Israel-Hamas conflict, it remains to be seen how many regional and international professionals will make the trip to Jeddah amid concerns round security and the optics of attending a festival in the region at this time.

There are mixed views. Some U.S. professionals quizzed on their attendance at the AFM last week expressed hesitation, while one L.A.-based professional who attended last year, said it was important for the event to to ahead.

“Life should and must go on,” they said, confirming their attendance.

Launched in 2021, in the wake of Saudi Arabia’s opening up to the world under its 2030 Vision aimed at moving its economy away from a reliance on oil, the RSIFF is a cornerstone of the country’s strategy to transform itself into the leading creative industries hub in the region.

In just two editions, it has established itself as one of the region’s glitziest film events, with a raft of high-profile stars hitting the red carpet, many in return for hefty fees.

High-profile guests making the trip last year included Oliver Stone, Sharon Stone, Spike Lee and Guy Ritchie alongside Bollywood stars Shah Rubk Khan, Hrithik Roshan and  Priyanka Chopra, as well as Bruno Mars, who performed a set on the opening night.

The festival has yet to respond to Deadline questions on security, whether it will be commenting on the Israel-Gaza conflict and whether it will toning down its red carpets and glitzy party scene in the light of the events in the backdrop.

For now, there has been very little indication of what international talent will be attending or whether there will be any big international titles in the line-up this year.

A spokesperson for the festival told Deadline on Monday, however, that a number of significant international talents and titles will be revealed in the coming days.

Red Sea Foundation CEO Mohammed Al-Turki and Managing Director Shivani Pandya Malhotra did not allude to the events unfolding in the backdrop in their statement accompanying today’s announcement, focusing instead on the theme and selection.

“We feel it is particularly timely to use the medium of film to look at what connects us, and to give a platform to the voices and experiences of people in our region and beyond to foster insight, understanding and compassion. We look forward to once again welcoming the global film community in Jeddah for our third edition,” they said.

Kaleem Aftab, Director of International Programs, said the films selected for the Red Sea: Competition were “a stark reminder of the many issues facing humanity today.”

Antoine Khalife, Director of Arab Programs and Film Classics, echoed these sentiments.

“The vibrancy of Arab cinema, particularly in Saudi Arabia, stands as a testament to the region’s flourishing film industry. Arab filmmakers boldly confront sensitive themes, weaving together narratives that explore family dynamics, patriotism, and the rediscovery of values.  Arab cinema is increasingly mirroring the realities of everyday life,” he said.

Special Screenings 

TO MY SON (World Premiere)
Dir. Dhafer L’abidine
Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates

JEANNE DU BARRY 
Dir. Maïwenn
France, Saudi Arabia

Red Sea International Film Festival: Arab Spectacular

FOUR DAUGHTERS 
Dir. Kaouther Ben Hania
France, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Tunisia

HAJJA
Dir. Abu Bakr Shawky
Saudi Arabia, Egypt

KHALED EL SHEIKH BETWEEN TWO FIRES, ART AND POLITICS (World Premiere)
Dir. Jamal Kutbi
Saudi Arabia

FEVER DREAM (World Premiere) 
Dir. Faris Godus
Saudi Arabia

THREE (World Premiere)
Dir. Nayla Alkhaja 
United Arab Emirates, Thailand

HWJN (World Premiere)
Dir. Yasir Alyasiri
Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates

BACK TO ALEXANDRIA 
Dir. Tamer Ruggli
France, Switzerland, Egypt

NAGA 
Dir. Meshal Aljaser
Saudi Arabia

SHAMAREEKH (World Premiere) 
Dir. Amr Salama
Egypt

YESTERDAY AFTER TOMORROW (World Premiere) 
Dir. Abdulghani Alsaigh
Saudi Arabia

A NOSE AND THREE EYES (World Premiere) 
Dir. Amir Ramses
Egypt, United Arab Emirates

I AM AL-ITTIHAD (World Premiere) 
Dir. Hamza Tarzan
Saudi Arabia

Red Sea International Film Festival: In Competition

INSHALLAH A BOY
Dir. Amjad Al Rashid
Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, France, Qatar

BEHIND THE MOUNTAINS 
Dir. Mohamed Ben Attia
Tunisia, France, Belgium, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar

NORAH (World Premiere) 
Dir. Tawfik Alzaidi 
Saudi Arabia

HIDING SADDAM HUSSEIN
Dir. Halkawt Mustafa
Norway, Iraq

BACKSTAGE
Dir. Afef Ben Mahmoud, Khalil Benkirane 
Morocco, Tunisia, Belgium, France, Qatar, Norway, Saudi Arabia

THE TEACHER
Dir. Farah Naboulsi
United Kingdom, Palestine, Qatar

DALMA (World Premiere)
Dir. Humaid Alsuwaidi  
United Arab Emirates

MANDOOB
Dir. Ali Kalthami
Saudi Arabia

SIX FEET OVER
Dir. Karim Bensalah
Algeria, France

DEAR JASSI
Dir. Tarsem Singh Dhandwar 
India

IN FLAMES
Dir. Zarra Khan 
Pakistan, Canada

WAKHRI (ONE OF A KIND) (World Premiere)
Dir. Iram Parveen Bilal
Pakistan, USA

SUNDAY (YAKSHANBA)
Dir. Shokir Kholikov
Uzbekistan

TIGER STRIPES
Dir. Amanda Nell Eu 
Malaysia, Taiwan R.O.C., Singapore, France, Germany, Netherlands, Indonesia, Qatar

ROXANA
Dir. Parviz Shahbazi
Iran

OMEN (AUGURE)
Dir. Baloji
Belgium, Netherlands, Democratic Republic of the Congo

EVIL DOES NOT EXIST
Dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Japan

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