JEDDAH: The Red Sea International Film Festival hosted a glittering closing night gala with A-list stars posing on the red carpet in Jeddah.
The likes of Henry Golding, Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry, Nicolas Cage, Adrien Brody and Andrew Garfield hit the red carpet, with “Crazy Rich Asians” star Golding telling Arab News “it only keeps getting better and better. I think it’s so smooth tonight and it’s just been magnificent to be on the red carpet here and share this space with Nicolas Cage, Baz Luhrmann and Frieda Pinto ... I feel very lucky.”
Andrew Garfield on the red carpet. (Arab News)
The festival wrapped up its third edition with a screening of “Ferrari,” a biopic directed by Michael Mann starring Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, Shailene Woodley and Patrick Dempsey. Although Thursday night marked the closing ceremony and Yusr Awards, the festival will continue its slate of screenings until Dec. 9.
Mohammed Al-Turki, CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation, previously spoke about “Ferrari” in a released statement, saying: “This exhilarating film has been close to the festival’s ‘heart,’ as it has been supported by our Red Sea International Film Financing, a vehicle for us to champion acclaimed storytellers and create the opportunity for cultural exchange. Michael Mann’s powerful film shows true craftsmanship and empathy for the ambitious genius behind one of the world’s most desired works of design.”
During the gala night, the festival unveiled this year’s Yusr Awards, which “recognize and celebrate boldness and innovation in film, awarding the biggest prizes in the region to both emerging and established voices across the formats of fiction, documentary, and animation,” as stated on the festival’s website.
Chairwoman of the foundation Jomana Al-Rashid took to the stage and said: “At the beginning of the festival, we aimed to achieve a set of goals: to bridge, to bind and to build. In bridging, this festival has demonstrated that language has never been a barrier, but a bond, and that cultures clash but converge.”
This year’s jury was presided over by director Baz Luhrmann, who was joined by Swedish American actor Joel Kinnaman (“Suicide Squad”); Freida Pinto (“Slumdog Millionaire”); Egyptian actor Amina Khalil (“Grand Hotel”) and Spain’s Paz Vega (“Sex and Lucía,” “The OA”).
The Red Sea International Film Festival kicked off on Nov. 30 with a gala screening of Dubai-based Iraqi director Yasir Al-Yasiri’s “HWJN,” which is based on a YA novel by Saudi writer Ibraheem Abbas. Set in modern-day Jeddah, “HWJN” follows the story of a kind-hearted jinn — an invisible entity in Islamic tradition — as he discovers the truth about his royal lineage.
Meanwhile, German actress Diane Kruger, Bollywood star Ranveer Singh and Saudi actor-writer Abdullah Al-Sadhan received career honors at the festival this year.
The Red Sea International Film Festival features 11 categories of films: Special Screenings; Red Sea: Competition; Red Sea: Shorts Competition; Festival Favorites; Arab Spectacular; International Spectacular; New Saudi/ New Cinema: Shorts; Red Sea: New Vision; Red Sea: Families and Children; Red Sea: Series and Red Sea: Treasures.
The theme of year’s festival was “Your Story, Your Festival.”
Here is the full list of winners:
Asharq Documentary
Awarded for Best Documentary In Competition – a $10,000 prize
Winner: Kaouther Ben Hania for “Four Daughters”
Chopard Rising Talent Trophy
Winner: Nour Alkhadra
Film AlUla Audience Award: Saudi Film
With a $50,000 prize
Winner: “Nora” / Saudi Arabia – Red Sea: Competition
Film AlUla Audience Award: Non-Saudi Film
With a $50,000 prize
Winner: “Hopeless” / South Korea – Festival Favorites
Shorts
Silver Yusr for Best Short Film
With a $12,500 prize
Winner: “Suitcase” – directed by Saman Hosseinpuor and Ako Zandkarimi
Golden Yusr for Best Short Film
With a $25,000 prize
Winner: “Somewhere in Between” – directed by Dahlia Nemlich
Features
Best Cinematic Contribution
Winner: “Omen” / Baloji
Best Actor
Winner: Saleh Bakri / “The Teacher”
Best Actress
Winner: Mouna Hawa / “Inshallah A Boy”
Best Screenplay
With a $10,000 prize
Winner: “Six Feet Over” / Karim Bensalah and Jamal Belmahi
Best Director
With a $10,000 prize
Winner: Shokir Kholikov / “Sunday”
Jury Prize
With a $10,000 prize
Winner: Farah Nabulsi / “The Teacher”
Silver Yusr for the Best Feature Film
With a $30,000
Winner: “Dear Jassi” / Tarsem Singh
Golden Yusr for Best Feature Film
With a $100,000
Winner: “In Flames” / Zarrar Kahn
