Oscar nominee Kaouther Ben Hania, Saudi filmmaker Shahad Ameen and Egyptian star Nelly Karim are among the jury member of the Red Sea International Film Festival.
Red Sea International Film Festival, in partnership with Vox Cinemas and the MBC Group, has announced the jury for its Red Sea: Features and the Red Sea: Shorts Competitions for its second edition, which will run from December 1-10 in Jeddah.
The festival will welcome filmmakers, talent, media, industry professionals, and film fans for a 10-day celebration of global cinema.
Legendary film director, producer, and screenwriter, Oliver Stone will preside over the Festival’s Red Sea: Features Competition Jury. The three-time Academy Award winner is behind some of the all-time masterpieces of cinema, including Scarface, The Doors, Wall Street, JFK, Midnight Express, Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Nixon, and Natural Born Killers.
Speaking about his role, Oliver Stone, President of the Red Sea: Features Competition Jury, said: “It is an honour to be asked to preside over the jury for the Red Sea International Film Festival’s second edition and along with my fellow jurors, we are thrilled to be watching a diverse and original selection of films. This is a unique opportunity for us all to recognise and celebrate the best work from filmmakers from the Arab world, Asia and Africa. I’m very much looking forward to this experience.”
Mohammed Al Turki, CEO of RedSeaIFF, added: “We are truly grateful to our three esteemed juries for their valuable time and I look forward to welcoming them all to the Festival. The selection this year is extraordinary and reflects the highest creative achievements from the Arab world, Asia and Africa. I’m confident this will prove to be an exciting and demanding task in selecting winners.”
Jury President, Oliver Stone will be joined by Egyptian star Nelly Karim (The Blue Elephant), Oscar nominee Kaouther Ben Hania (The Man Who Sold His Skin), acclaimed Georgian film director Levan Koguashvili (Blind Dates), and Palestinian actor Ali Suleiman (Paradise Now).
The Red Sea: Shorts Competition will be judged by filmmaker Joana Hadjithomas (Memory Box), Saudi writer and director Shahad Ameen (Scales) and Nigerian actor Ozzy Agu (The Lost Okoroshi).
The Red Sea: Features and Red Sea: Shorts Competitions will showcase the highest creative achievements from a diverse array of filmmakers from the Arab region, Asia and Africa. The line-up of 15 features and 26 short films will showcase the most compelling, and impressive work from the past year, with winners in each competition selected by highly esteemed juries.
The Red Sea: VR strand which features a selection of the latest leading Virtual Reality (VR) storytelling and art projects in and out of competition from award-winning international artists and directors. The strand will be adjudicated by London-based Egyptian documentary filmmaker May Abdalla, Bangladeshi artist Naima Karim and Tribeca Film Festivals Immersive Curator Ana Brzezińska.
