Filmmaker Hadi Ghandour’s diary of Cannes Film Festival

The famous Cannes Film Festival hosted its first Saudi Arabian pavilion at this year's event. (AFP/Anne-Christine Poujoulat)
Updated 20 May 2018
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Filmmaker Hadi Ghandour’s diary of Cannes Film Festival

  • Arab News sent screenwriter and director Hadi Ghandour to spend three days at Cannes
  • The first Saudi Arabian pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival was one of the highlights

CANNES: Arab News sent screenwriter and director Hadi Ghandour to spend three days with the team and talent in the first Saudi pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival, which closes on Saturday.

DAY 1
Cannes is always an overwhelming experience. I had attended the festival a couple of times before and after the production of my first feature film.
The frantic pace within the glitzy setting can be unsettling.
There are people everywhere, buying and selling ideas and films and themselves. It can all be very dizzying, but never boring. Here, the ostentatious and intellectual coexist.
It is a balmy Saturday afternoon. The Grand Palais is clogged by people sneaking in selfies. A swarm of eccentrics scurry along the edifice, desperately touting for screening tickets with signs saying: “Invitation SVP!”
One woman has written on her chest: “Will trade a kiss for a ticket.” The arthouse beggar.
This year’s lineup has a decidedly different tone. Somehow the festival feels smaller, in a good way. The pomp is still there, but there are also films by lesser-known filmmakers, including the debut feature “Yommedine” by Egyptian director Abu Bakr Shawky. It is also a particularly proud moment for Lebanese cinema, as Nadine Labaki’s “Capharnaum” is competing in the official selection.
The Saudi presence is on everybody’s lips. I spot a flyer in a festival goody bag inviting guests to “Discover the Kingdom” at the Saudi Film Council pavilion. On my way there, I overhear a haughty young man on the street ask his friend, “Who has time for movies?”
I arrive at the Village International, the outdoor space where countries promote their cinema. National flags wave on the rooftops of the pavilions that line the harbor. The scene is reminiscent of a mini UN. Opposite the Lebanese pavilion and nestled against the yacht-filled port is the Saudi pavilion.
It is the first of its kind in the history of the festival. It isn’t until I enter that I am convinced that this is not a mirage. I am cordially greeted by a traditionally dressed Saudi man who serves Arabic coffee.
A bar beside him serves dates and juices. Inside, the atmosphere is markedly buoyant and it is without question the busiest pavilion at the festival.
I get the impression that it’s like the popular and mysterious new kid in school.
Laughing guests mingle. Inquisitive eyes scan the two-story structure. Breezy white drapes soften the sunlight. The walls are covered with screens showing beautiful panoramic Saudi landscapes; sand dunes, traditional streets, castles and UNESCO-protected areas I have never seen before.
All are potential location shoots, I am told. “This castle can maybe be the hideout of a James Bond villain,” said Faisal Almadani of Midwam, an interactive digital experience company. He places VR goggles around my head and takes me through a virtual tour of a Jeddah market.
Nine Saudi filmmakers are here to represent their country. Some have not arrived yet, but the ones who have are circulating. They are all sharply dressed. Some already know each other; others are meeting for the first time.
Talha B., one of the filmmakers, remarks with a grin: “I took a gamble a few years ago. Now I can go back and not be the black sheep of the family.”
The sun is starting to set and music is emerging from the beachside restaurants.
Some of the parties have already begun. I remember the haughty man I overheard and decide to prove him wrong. I head off to watch a movie. “Le Depart” by Jerzy Skolimowski is playing on a huge outdoor screen on the shore as part of Cinema de la Plage.
I sit there beneath the stars. People around me disappear.
The festival disappears. The sea disappears. It’s just me and this film.
“Who has time for the movies?” I look around and get my answer.

DAY 2
Cannes during the festival feels like a movie set. It is so completely taken over that the people in restaurants and shops and on the streets look like extras. The city is divided into two kinds of people: those who wear festival badges and those who don’t.
The former vastly outnumber the latter. And they get all the benefits.
Sunday is overcast. Thick clouds are quickly gathering, promising a rainy day. A young woman dressed in sweatpants walks into the Palais with a changing bag and emerges dressed in a tawdry golden gown.
With this Clark Kent-style transformation, sh is red carpet-ready in case a charitable individual hands her a ticket.
There is a buzz inside the Saudi pavilion. A lively panel discussion on women in film is taking place, featuring Haifaa Al-Mansour, CAA agent Maha Dakhil and writer-director Maram Taibah.
What strikes me most is the very different way Al-Mansour and Taibah view their role as filmmakers.
“I celebrate being a woman filmmaker … it is part of my identity. There are so many stories about women and so much representation that is missing,” said Al-Mansour.
But Taibah identifies just as a filmmaker, not as a female filmmaker.

 

 “I’m dedicated to the story. If it happens to be a story about women, it’s great, but if it’s not, then that’s where my creative flow is going to go. It limits me. As a storyteller I’m interested in the human experience on a universal level. Women need to be seen as talents. Full stop.”
All three share an optimism for the future.
“The ground feels very fertile... things are happening overnight,” said Dakhil, who ended the panel with a word of advice for aspiring storytellers. “Dream up your story, and the medium is secondary.”
It’s lunchtime. Sandwiches, salads and desserts are served. There is another panel, this time focused on film education. In attendance are representatives from La Femis film school in Paris, Effat University, Film Independent and the Studio School.
Dr. Bayan Alshabani explains that Effat University in Jeddah had been teaching filmmaking before cinemas reopened. And here’s the kicker: its students are exclusively women.
“Since we have smartphones, everyone is making movies. We have the talent, we just have to formally nurture those talents,” she later adds.
Maria Bozzi from Film Independent announces the launch of workshops in Saudi to collaborate with local writers. Glenn Kalison, the president of Studio School, is excited about training Saudi film crews.
It is easy to forget that just a few months ago cinemas were banned in Saudi Arabia. What the SFC is attempting to build is impressive. But what impresses me most are the filmmakers I meet.
A cursory talk with Mujtaba Saeed segues into a philosophical discussion. Maram Taibah has an eloquence and sensitivity about her. Musab Alamri is fast-talking and intelligent. Talha and Maan B. clearly look after and motivate one another.
Faisal Alotaibi is cultured and considered in his words. Seba Alluqmani is bubbly and enthusiastic. And Ali Alkalthami’s passion to foster a filmmaking community with his Telfaz11 online platform is inspiring.
Thunder shakes the pavilion, and one can easily mistake the lightning for camera flashes. Heavy rain pounds on the rooftop, deafening the chatter. But as the evening approaches the weather slowly begins to clear. Before dinner, Faisal Baltyuor, the head of the SFC, gives an impassioned speech to the filmmakers, asking them to share their advice and comments.
He is hopeful that the Saudi presence will be even bigger next year — and on the red carpet.
Over a live music performance, dinner is served: kefta, chicken kebabs, pasta, hummus and vine leaves. The ebullient SFC staff join in, wrapping the night up in song.

DAY 3
It’s late morning at the Croisette, and 21-year-old Saudi director Meshal Aljaser has just arrived from Los Angeles.
With long hair and wearing a blazer over a black kandura, he looks California cool. He’s funny, edgy and sarcastic. And he’s not shy about his ambitions.
“I’d like to make English international films someday, maybe when I’m old. But if you ask me what my dream is, what I really feel, I really want to perfect Saudi film. I hope to become an iconic Saudi director after I die where people can study me. If it doesn’t happen, it’s OK, at least I tried.”
His short film “Is Sumiyati Going to Hell?” has just screened along with the other Saudi shorts in a cozy cinema inside the Grand Palais. I came out of the screening impressed by the selection. There is diversity in both form and content. The filmmakers all managed to create personal works despite the restrictions they faced, and I noticed that humor was very often present, even in the films tackling heavy subject matters such as domestic abuse, religious tension and extremism.
The work made me look forward to seeing how local talent will in the coming years express itself within the context of Saudi’s traditions and cultural norms. The boundaries are widening, but will they be pushed even further by the film-makers?
This will no doubt be something that emerging artists will face.
“I like to tell my stories and imagine one day that my kids or my grandparents will watch them. I don’t want them to be uncomfortable watching what I make,” Talha B. told me.
The film-makers head back to the pavilion to attend a panel on film festivals, featuring the programmers from the Toronto, Venice and Clermont-Ferrand film festivals, who give tips for navigating the daunting circuit.
Soon after it ends, I notice whispering among the PR, filmmakers and members of the SFC staff. I’m not supposed to know what’s going on, but I soon find out; John Travolta pays the pavilion an impromptu visit.
I decide to wind down by watching a film at the Director’s Fortnight, one of the sidebar sections held in parallel to the Cannes Film Festival:
“Amin,” by Philippe Faucon. But I am so pleasantly tired from the past few days that I fall asleep. I’ll have to watch it again.
The three days have come to an end.
They went by in a flash, and I have the same feeling I had in summer camp when I was 17: a mix of fatigue, satisfaction and sadness that it has all come to an end. But the future of Saudi cinema is just beginning.

  • Hadi Ghandour is a Lebanese/JordanianBelgian screenwriter and director. His award-winning first feature film, “The Traveler,” toured film festivals around the world.

FASTFACTS

Effat University

Effat University in Jeddah had been teaching filmmaking before cinemas reopened and its students are exclusively women.


Emirati designer Hamda Al-Fahim dresses Anya Taylor-Joy for Tiffany event

Updated 26 April 2024
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Emirati designer Hamda Al-Fahim dresses Anya Taylor-Joy for Tiffany event

DUBAI: US actress Anya Taylor-Joy this week was spotted at the Tiffany & Co. celebration of the launch of Blue Book in Beverly Hills wearing a dress by Emirati designer Hamda Al-Fahim.

The actress from “The Queen’s Gambit,” who is the ambassador for the American luxury jewelry label, impressed her fans in a head-turning dark golden brown dress that featured a corset-styled bodice paired with a fitted velvet skirt that flowed down, culminating in a short train trailing behind her.

The dress is called the Velvet Canyon and is from Al-Fahim’s Earthy collection.

Caption

Al-Fahim took to Instagram to share pictures of the star championing her design with her 498,000 followers.

“Anya Taylor-Joy (looks) stunning in our Velvet Canyon,” she wrote on her Stories. 

For her jewelry, Anya chose a glitzy diamond necklace embellished with red rhinestones, accompanied by matching earrings and a ring. She completed the ensemble with a statement chunky silver bracelet.

She styled her blonde hair with a side part, which cascaded in soft waves past her shoulders.

Taylor-Joy was accompanied by a star-studded lineup of celebrities, including Olivia Wilde, Emily Blunt, Gabrielle Union, Quinta Brunson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Harrier, Suki Waterhouse and Aimee Song, among others.

Wilde flaunted a black figure-hugging dress with a plunging neckline, Blunt was radiant in a white sequin dress, Union opted for a custom-made Staud dress in black and white, Brunson wore a black velvet midi-gown from Roland Mouret and Huntington-Whiteley chose a white Carolina Herrera dress.

Al-Fahim is an Abu Dhabi-based designer known for her elegant and ethereal aesthetic, often featuring intricate embellishments, delicate fabrics and flattering silhouettes. Her creations combine femininity and sophistication, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern sensibilities.

Seen on red carpets, premieres and high-profile events worldwide, Al-Fahim’s creations have captured the attention of international celebrities including Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez.

Al-Fahim has also previously teamed up with US luxury handbag designer Tyler Ellis on a limited-edition capsule collection in 2022.


REVIEW: Sofia Boutella’s heroic efforts can’t save ‘Rebel Moon — Part Two’

Updated 26 April 2024
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REVIEW: Sofia Boutella’s heroic efforts can’t save ‘Rebel Moon — Part Two’

DUBAI: “Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire” drew scathing reviews (our writer described it as perhaps “the most discombobulating collection of mismatched sci-fi tropes ever committed to film”). “Part Two: The Scargiver” simply adds to that legacy.

The story: Former Imperium soldier Kora and the surviving band of ragtag warriors she’s recruited return to the moon of Veldt — home to simple farming folk in danger of being blown to bits by the mighty Imperium for failing to supply the unreasonable grain quota demanded of them. With just a few days before the deadline, Kora and her band must train the villagers to fight (and harvest the grain in just three days to provide a bargaining chip). What Kora doesn’t know is that Admiral Noble, the bad guy she ‘killed,’ is still alive. And bent on vengeance.

Before the enemy arrives, the warriors tell their life stories in a trust-building exercise — one of the clunkiest pieces of exposition ever written. There are slow-mo shots of the harvest gathering and a brief interlude to show that Kora and farmer Gunnar are very much in love.

Then, thankfully, we’re into the battle(s). Here, at least, director Zack Snyder doesn’t disappoint, even giving an original twist to the ‘spaceship plummeting from the sky’ trope by staging a showdown between Kora, Gunnar and Admiral Noble on a floor that becomes increasingly vertical. Below them, the villagers fight heroically against odds very much stacked against them, even with the help of Nemesis and her two flaming definitely-not-lightsabers.  

The well-constructed battle scenes, though, aren’t enough. Not even with a cast fighting as heroically as the villagers to salvage something. Sofia Boutella, as Kora, emerges with most credit, proving herself a convincing action hero who deserves better than this material to work with (spoiler alert: perhaps even material that allows the heroine to kill the bad guy herself, without the intervention of her boyfriend).

Yes, no one’s sitting down to watch an “epic space opera” in the expectation of thought-provoking dialogue, but “Rebel Moon” is like the result of forcing a seven-year-old to watch all things “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” in random order, then asking them to write down what happened. The best thing to say about “The Scargiver” is that it finishes — but even that comfort is tainted by Snyder’s cynical setting up of a potential part three. Possibly because that seven-year-old fell asleep before writing an actual ending.


Saudi Arabian history on display at Abu Dhabi Book Fair 

Updated 26 April 2024
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Saudi Arabian history on display at Abu Dhabi Book Fair 

  • Selections from London-based rare-book dealer Peter Harrington’s offering at the UAE fair 

‘Ibn Saud press photograph’ 

According to notes from rare books specialists from Peter Harrington’s team, this image from archives of The Times newspaper was taken in what was then called Hejaz, following a “critical and secretive meeting between (founder of Saudi Arabia) Ibn Saud (center) and the British representative Sir Gilbert Clayton (left) — one of a pivotal series of negotiations which led to the Treaty of Jeddah in May 1927.” The two discussed “various outstanding questions affecting the relations of the Kingdom of the Hejaz and Nejd with the neighboring states of Iraq and Transjordan” to help determine the northern borders of Saudi Arabia. “Discussions over the borders were protracted and complex, with the towns of Maʿan and Kaf the object of particularly intense debate,” the notes state. 

‘Pilgrimage to El-Medinah and Mecca’ by Richard F. Burton 

In this three-volume first edition, complete with illustrations, of “one of the most extraordinary travel narratives of the 19th century,” the British explorer, writer and polyglot Richard Francis Burton recounts his Hajj journey, made “in complete disguise as a Muslim native of the Middle East” at a time when fewer than half-a-dozen Europeans had made the pilgrimage — forbidden to non-Muslims. “It surpassed all preceding Western accounts of the holy cities of Islam, made Burton famous, and became a classic of travel literature, described by T. E. Lawrence as ‘a most remarkable work of the highest value,’” the team from Peter Harrington note. In Makkah, Burton performed all the rites of the pilgrimage and his subterfuge remained undiscovered. 

‘Map and Overview Presenting the Hejaz Railway Route’ 

This map from 1903 depicts the route of the ambitious Hejaz Railway project. It “depicts a very broad area, extending from just north of Hama, Syria, all the way south a little way past Makkah, in the Hejaz; it covers most of Syria, all of Palestine, the Sinai Peninsula, the Suez Canal, and all the north-western Arabian Peninsula,” Peter Harrington’s rare book experts write. “It clearly delineates those parts of the railway that are in place and those under construction … with each station labelled. Additionally, it depicts the two alternative routes proposed for extending the line to Makkah, employing broken lines, while another line traces the proposed (but unrealized) route of a rail line from Makkah to Jeddah. The map also labels important roads and caravan routes.” 

Four years after this map was published, the book seller’s notes state, the railway reached AlUla, which is not marked on this map, although Mada’in Salah (now Hegra) is, which today is the site of one of two museums dedicated to the Hejaz Railway.  

By 1908, the railway had reached Madinah, where, the notes state, “for various political reasons, it had to be terminated.” Nevertheless, they continue, “until the outbreak of the First World War, it allowed hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to make the Hajj in safety and with relative ease.” 

‘Material from the library of Peter O’Toole by T.E. Lawrence’ 

Billed by Peter Harrington as an “insightful archive, spanning Lawrence’s transformation from man of the moment to unwilling celebrity, from the library of Peter O’Toole, whose breakthrough portrayal in David Lean’s 1962 biopic still shapes perceptions of the famous Arabist. Autograph material from Lawrence is always highly prized, but rarely is its provenance so apposite.” 

The centerpiece of the material is a photograph and an unpublished letter written by Lawrence (who became known as Lawrence of Arabia following his journeys across the Middle East, including modern-day Saudi Arabia), framed as a piece and gifted to the English actor who played Lawrence in the aforementioned biopic by his wife, Sian, and a friend not long before the premiere of the movie. The letter makes clear Lawrence’s difficult relationship with his celebrity, and is cutting about his own book, “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom,” saying that he did not own a copy himself (“No man yet has ever wanted to read his own book”) but that his mother and “little brother” did, “and that is plenty for the family. Nobody reads it: it is worth too much money. ... It is a rotten book, you know.” 

‘Oil Region in the Desert of Saudi Arabia’ 

This 1950 image, “after a painting by the German artist Michael Mathias Kiefer,” is one of a series of geographical pictures intended for use in the curriculum of German schools. “The painting juxtaposes Arab figures in traditional garb with images of drilling rigs, a lorry, and oil storage tanks, creating a strikingly orientalist image,” Peter Harrington’s notes state. “In the middle of the composition, a pipeline bisects the image, a forceful reminder of the centrality of oil to the modern Saudi Arabian economy. In the foreground, members of a group of travelers, possibly intended to be Bedouins, rest on a carpet and let their camels drink from a water tank. Away in the background, before a distant oasis, more travelers arrive at a campsite, their camels heavily laden. Their destination is the oil infrastructure that crowds the right of the image.” 


Recipes for Success: Chef Antonio De Crecchio offers advice and a gnocchi with duck ragu recipe

Updated 26 April 2024
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Recipes for Success: Chef Antonio De Crecchio offers advice and a gnocchi with duck ragu recipe

DUBAI: Antonio De Crecchio began his career back in 2006, working as a pizza chef in Naples, Italy. He was, he says, just 14 years old. 

“I’ve always loved food and cooking, but that’s when I truly fell in love with cooking,” he tells Arab News. “My first boss was tough on me, but it taught me a lot about handling the job and pushing myself to get better.” 

Antonio De Crecchio began his career back in 2006. (Supplied)

He continued to work as a pizza chef at various Rossopomodoro outlets across the UK, including London, Birmingham, and Newcastle, before returning to Italy to lead the team at Rossopomodoro in Torino and Milano. In 2019, he moved to the UAE, taking a job as pizza chef at Antica Pizzeria da Michele in Dubai. He is currently executive chef of Amò at Via Toledo in Dubai’s Address Beach Resort.  

“Working here has been emotional for me,” he says. “After spending many years in a casual dining restaurant, opening a fine dining restaurant feels like reaching a higher level,” he said. 

Here, De Crecchio — affectionately known as Chef Toto — discusses tips for amateur chefs, his love for Italian cuisine, and his most challenging dish. 

Amò is at Via Toledo in Dubai’s Address Beach Resort. (Supplied)

What’s your top tip for amateur chefs cooking at home? 

Invest in a Bimby. It’s a great tool for making pizza dough, ensuring that the result matches what you’d get at a restaurant. Plus it saves a lot of time, allowing you to focus on other tasks. Making dough correctly requires a lot of experience, so having the right equipment can make a big difference. 

When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?  

Yes. Often. 

And what’s the most common issue that you find in other restaurants? 

One thing I notice, especially with Italian food, is that the pasta is not always cooked al dente, as it should be. This can be challenging for me because I have a strong preference for the traditional Italian food that my grandma used to make. 

Tiramisu. (Supplied)

 

What’s your favorite cuisine when you go out? 

My favorite cuisine is Italian, especially pasta. It reminds me of my home country and brings back fond memories. 

What customer request or behavior most annoys you? 

The requests that annoy me the most are when they ask for pasta with chicken and pizza with pineapple. 

What’s your favorite dish to cook?  

My favorite dish to cook is pasta, because it reminds me of Sundays back home when my mom used to prepare it for our family lunches. 

Pizza Chiena, a savory pie. (Supplied)

 

What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right? 

The most challenging dish for me to perfect is our egg dish. It requires cooking at a low temperature to maintain a soft interior, and achieving the right texture for the foam that accompanies it is crucial. If you don’t achieve the exact balance, then the dish loses its identity. 

As a head chef, what are you like? Are you a disciplinarian? Or are you more laid back?  

As a head chef, I prioritize discipline, but I avoid shouting at my staff. In the kitchen, maintaining both discipline and empathy with my team is essential for success. 

Chef Antonio’s gnocchi with duck ragu  

Gnocchi with Duck Ragu Recipe. (Supplied)

INGREDIENTS 

1kg potatoes; 100g parmesan cheese; 15g salt; 1 egg; 375g all-purpose flour; 1kg duck legs; 250g carrots, chopped; 250g white onion, chopped; 250g celery, chopped 

INSTRUCTIONS 

For the duck ragu: 

1. Heat a pot on the stove until it reaches smoking point. Add blended oil. 

2. Season the skin side of the duck legs with salt. Sear them until the outer surface of the meat is scorched, then transfer to a deep tray, cover them with their fat and place in the oven at 150°C for two hours. 

3. In the same pot used for searing, add the celery, white onion and carrots to the duck fat and deglaze with approximately 4 liters of chicken stock. 

4. Bring the stock to a boil, then slowly add each leg to the boiling stock. 

5. Transfer the stock and duck legs into a large oven dish and heat in the oven at 160°C for two hours. 

6. Remove the dish from the oven, take the duck legs out of the liquid and gently pull the meat from the duck legs, setting it aside. 

7. Transfer the remaining liquid to a pot and reduce for one hour. 

8. Allow the reduction to cool down, then mix it with the duck meat to prepare the duck ragu. 

For the gnocchi 

1. Steam the potatoes until tender, then mash. 

2. Add grated parmesan cheese, salt, egg, and flour, and combine to form a dough. 

3. Roll the dough into ropes and cut it into small pieces to form gnocchi. 

4. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then cook the gnocchi until they float to the surface. Remove and set aside. 

5. Toast the cooked gnocchi with butter and additional parmesan cheese in a pan until lightly browned. 

6. Plate the gnocchi and top with the prepared duck ragu. 


Two Saudi hotels listed in Conde Nast’s Hot List of new openings from the last year

Updated 25 April 2024
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Two Saudi hotels listed in Conde Nast’s Hot List of new openings from the last year

DUBAI: For those planning their next staycation, two hotels in Saudi Arabia have found a spot in Conde Nast’s prestigious annual Hot List, with one of them located in the heart of Riyadh.

The St Regis Riyadh and Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea have joined the list of best hotel openings from the last year, spanning the globe, from Argentina and Zimbabwe to Nepal and Spain, and more.

The St Regis Riyadh is “the only hotel inside Via Riyadh – a bijou mall of designer boutiques, hand-picked restaurants, and a cinema complex, wrapped within monumental sandstone walls at the edge of the Saudi capital’s Diplomatic Quarter – the St Regis Riyadh nods to the hotel brand’s New York heritage as well as its new Saudi home,” according to the publication.

Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea, is the first resort to open in the 28,000-square-kilometer expanse of sea, reefs, islands and inland desert known, simply, as The Red Sea. (Supplied)

Meanwhile, the new Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea, is the first resort to open in the 28,000-square-kilometer expanse of sea, reefs, islands and inland desert known, simply, as The Red Sea. It’s one of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious tourism-focused giga-projects, part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 aimed at diversifying the economy and heralding a new future for the nation.