JEDDAH: International stars from Hollywood, Bollywood and the Middle East and North African film industries gathered in Jeddah on Thursday for the launch of the Red Sea International Film Festival.

The 2025 edition of the festival is running from Dec 4-13 in the historic district of Al‑Balad in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia — the festival’s permanent home.

On Thursday night, the red carpet hosted the likes of Oscar winner Adrien Brody; US actresses Queen Latifah, Kirsten Dunst, Jessica Alba and Uma Therman; Cuban Spanish star Ana de Armas; British actor Daniel Kaluuya; and British singer Rita Ora. From the Middle East, Saudi star Sarah Taibah hit the red carpet, alongside Zeina Makki, Hanaa Mansour and more.

“This is my second time actually attending the Red Sea International Film Festival. And I'm very proud of the work that they're doing, and Saudi as a nation is doing, not just in film and the arts, but supporting their own culture,” “The Brutalist” actor Brody said to Arab News on the red carpet.

“There's a great sense of pride and joy I find, especially in young people here. They feel empowered and able to do things, which is an amazing thing to feel in this world. This festival, in particular, is really bringing a lot of visibility to underrepresented female voices in film … and also young, inspiring filmmakers are getting an opportunity here.”

British actor Michael Caine was also at the ceremony — he earned a special honor at the event for his work in the film industry.

“I’m here to get an award, which doesn’t surprise me. I won two Oscars,” Caine joked on stage during the ceremony, where he was joined by three of his grandchildren. “I have a fabulous family that I adore beyond belief. I’ve had a fairly fabulous movie family, some who’ve let me down, and I love them beyond belief, including the failures. I kept going until I was 90, which is two years ago. I’m not going to do anything else, I’ve had all the luck I can get.”

The jury also attended the opening ceremony, including Sean Baker, Lebanese director Nadine Labaki, British Oscar winner Riz Ahmed, actress Olga Kurylenko and actress Naomi Harris.

Now in its fifth year, RSIFF returns with the theme “For the Love of Cinema,” and promises more than 100 films from Saudi Arabia, the Arab world, Asia and Africa, alongside exclusive screenings, industry initiatives and a renewed focus on women filmmakers and global collaborations.

“I've been very lucky to fall in with some extraordinary female filmmakers here … I think it's an important time to look at the global picture and, especially as a woman and a filmmaker and somebody who's very aware of the good and bad of AI, I feel like it's important to be here with the female filmmakers and really understand what's at stake for all of us,” US actress and director Natasha Lyonne told Arab News, highliting the key focus on female-led filmmaking at the festival. 

“Thirty-eight female filmmakers are being honored at this festival, which makes me really, really happy,” Canadian star Nina Dobrev added.

This year’s opening night gala launched with the UK-US biopic “Giant,” directed by Rowan Athale. The film chronicles the life of British Yemeni boxer Prince Naseem Hamed, played by Amir El-Masry.

“It's a film that we worked so hard on. It's one that encompasses both cultures, the East and the West. It is about a man who grew up in Sheffield, but is a Yemeni, a Muslim, Yemeni boxer who managed to get out of a turbulent time in his life in Sheffield and become world champion. That's no mean feat," El-Masry told Arab News on the red carpet. 

“(It is) a hugely inspirational story, not just for Middle Easterners, like myself, but for people around the world.”

Over the 10-day festival, 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. 

“I’m equally scared and excited. It’s a romantic dark comedy. I think it’s a very new genre in Saudi films. It’s very colorful ... I’m very excited and scared for people to see it,” Taibah told Arab News on the red carpet, adding she is “excited to watch so many films,” including “Hijra,” “Palestine 36” and “Sirat,” among others. 

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.