Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Diane Kruger, Sharon Stone Help Open Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival

Will Smith and Johnny Depp brought some A-list firepower to the opening night of the third edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia.

Smith was mobbed by selfie hunters as he entered the vast and glitzy Ritz Carlton hotel in the city of Jeddah on Thursday night, dutifully posing for as many as he could (Depp chose to arrive later to less fanfare).

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Baz Luhrmann, who heads the festival jury, also caused a stir on the red carpet, while other notable guests included Sharon Stone, making her second appearance at the fest after attending in 2022; Diane Kruger; Sofia Vergara; Bollywood star Ranveer Singh; Ed Westwick; and many local Saudi names.

Iraqi director Yasir Al Yasiri’s HWJN, a jinn fantasy romance set in modern-day Jeddah, opened the festival, becoming the first local Saudi Arabian movie to be given the honor of raising the curtain.

HWJN is adapted from the best-selling young adult fantasy novel by Ibraheem Abbas. Combining Arabian folklore with modern themes, the film follows a kind-hearted jinn, portrayed by Baraa Alem, who goes on an epic journey to reclaim his birthright. Along the way, he meets young medical student Sawsan (Nour Alkhadra) and develops a romantic connection with her. He must also battle ancient evils “to maintain the harmonious balance between his world and ours,” according to a plot description.

Singh, who appeared earlier in the day at a sold-out “In Conversation” event as part of the festival, Kruger and Saudi actor and writer Abdullah Al-Sadhan were honored at the opening gala. The Red Sea Honoree Award is for “prominent cinematic figures and icons who contributed to shaping the history of cinema as we know it today and immortalized it in the hearts of the masses.”

Smith and Luhrmann are due to take part in “In Conversation” events later in the fest.

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