Five Red Sea–supported films selected across Venice Spotlight, Giornate degli Autori and Critics’ Week.
The Red Sea Film Foundation (RedSeaFF) has returned to the Venice Film Festival, presenting a strong lineup of films and industry initiatives that reinforce its commitment to nurturing emerging talent from Saudi Arabia, the Arab world, Africa and Asia.
Among the highlights is Hijra from Saudi Arabian director Shahad Ameen, whose poetic storytelling has positioned her as one of the Kingdom’s greatest voices. Supported by the Red Sea Fund, the film screens in Venice Spotlight, marking her return to the festival after her award-winning debut Scales premiered on the Lido in 2019.
Also featured is Lebanese filmmaker Cyril Aris’s A Sad and Beautiful World, a drama developed with the support of the Red Sea Labs, Red Sea Fund and Red Sea Souk. Its selection for Giornate degli Autori highlights the Foundation’s commitment to backing emerging regional voices from inception to the global stage.
Algerian director Yanis Koussim’s Roqia and Sudanese filmmaker Suzannah Mirghani’s Cotton Queen both screen in the Venice Critics’ Week section, offering urgent narratives that reflect the complexity of contemporary Arab identity. Completing the line-up is Damien Hauser’s Memory of Princess Mumbi, backed by the Red Sea Fund and Red Sea Souk. Selected for Giornate degli Autori, it adds a powerful African voice to the programme with its exploration of heritage and memory.
Faisal Baltyuor, Chief Executive Officer of the Red Sea Film Foundation, said: “It is an extraordinary honour for the Red Sea Film Foundation’s family to have five films supported by our year-round programmes—Red Sea Labs, Souk market, Film Fund—in various sections of the Venice Film Festival. This recognition is a tribute to the visionary filmmakers we’ve had the privilege to collaborate with. Two additional projects have been included in Venice’s key industry programmes. Venice has always stood for artistic excellence, and we are deeply grateful to be part of its legacy this year by highlighting voices from Saudi Arabia, the Arab world, Africa and Asia on the occasion of the Red Sea International Film Festival’s fifth anniversary.”
Alongside the official selections, the foundation is also represented in Venice’s industry programmes. Sofia Alaoui’s Tarfaya, developed through the 2024 Red Sea Labs’ Feature Films Programme — formerly known as The Lodge — has been selected for the Gap Financing Market, while Hugo Salvaterra’s My Semba, first showcased at the 2023 Red Sea Souk, continues its journey in Final Cut. The programme, of which the Foundation is a contributing partner, offers the opportunity to present films still in the production phase to international film professionals, in order to facilitate post-production and film market access. This marks the fourth consecutive year that the Foundation has partnered with the programme, presenting a dedicated award to support films in post-production.
Now in its fifth edition, the Red Sea International Film Festival has showcased over 520 films from 85 countries and spotlighted more than 130 Saudi titles, affirming its role in championing local voices and global exchange. The upcoming edition will run from December 4–13, 2025, in the historic district of Al Balad, Jeddah.
