JEDDAH: British singer Rita Ora performed in front of a star-studded audience at the Women in Cinema gala on Friday night during the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah.

Oscar winner Adrien Brody; US actresses Queen Latifah, Kirsten Dunst, Jessica Alba and Uma Thurman; Cuban Spanish star Ana de Armas; British actor Daniel Kaluuya; and British Lebanese star Razane Jammal were all in attendance, among others.

The event is an annual part of the the 10-day festival, where audiences can expect more than 100 films from more than 70 countries, including a diverse lineup of world premieres, regional debuts and international titles, including features, documentaries, animation and shorts.

The Arab Spectacular program will feature regional titles including “Palestine 36” by Annemarie Jacir; Haifaa Al-Mansour’s “Unidentified;” and “A Matter of Life and Death” by Anas Ba-Tahaf, starring Saudi actress Sarah Taibah, who was also on hand at the Women in Cinema event. 

Festival CEO Faisal Baltyuor previously told Arab News the film was an example of the growing power of female-led cinema in the Kingdom. The film, he said, “represents the growing strength of Saudi women in cinema and the emergence of romance as a dynamic new genre in the Kingdom,” highlighting the Red Sea Film Foundation’s focus on women in cinema.

The International Spectacular will present global premieres such as “Couture” starring Angelina Jolie, “The Wizard of the Kremlin,” “Scarlet,” “Farruquito — A Flamenco Dynasty,” and “Desert Warrior,” which was filmed in Saudi Arabia.

Beyond screenings, RSIFF is a major industry hub. The festival’s marketplace — the Red Sea Souk — returns from Dec. 6-10 with more than 160 exhibitors from more than 40 countries, industry panels, project-market pitches, masterclasses and networking sessions.