The Women In Cinema Gala encapsulates the Red Sea Film Foundation’s commitment to supporting female filmmakers at every stage of their journey, from concept development to international recognition.
The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF) held its ninth Women in Cinema Gala in partnership with Kering and EDITION Hotels, honouring the contributions of women working both in front of and behind the camera across the Arab world, Africa and Asia. The event, hosted by Razane Jammal, brought together leading figures from the global film community, including Head of Jury Sean Baker and his Features jury: Academy Award winner Riz Ahmed, Academy Award nominee Naomie Harris, Ukrainian-French actor Olga Kurylenko and Lebanese actor and director Nadine Labaki.
The gala highlighted the Red Sea Film Foundation’s ongoing commitment to supporting female filmmakers throughout their careers, from early development to international acclaim. Festival leadership, along with Chairwoman Jomana Al Rashid, addressed attendees and spotlighted the five female directors competing at this year’s festival: Shahad Ameen with Hijra, Cherien Dabis with All That’s Left of You, Zain Duraie with Sink, Yoon Ga-Eun with The World of Love and Zipporah Nyaruri with Truck Mama.
Women In Cinema Ambassadors Jessica Alba and Razane Jammal also delivered remarks acknowledging the foundation’s efforts to elevate women’s roles in the industry, particularly in regions where representation remains limited. The evening featured a musical performance by international pop artist Rita Ora.
For the first time, Kering introduced its Women In Motion initiative to the Red Sea IFF. The programme included a panel on December 7 featuring Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche, Saudi filmmaker Shahad Ameen and Palestinian-American actor and filmmaker Cherien Dabis. Moderated by Red Sea IFF’s Director of International Programmes Fionnuala Halligan, the discussion centered on the importance of fostering diverse female perspectives in filmmaking. Women In Motion, launched at Cannes in 2015, continues to champion gender equity and creative empowerment across the global film landscape.
Jomana Al Rashid, Chairwoman of the Red Sea Film Foundation, said: “Championing women in film is a key part of the Foundation’s ethos – as we continue to offer support to female filmmakers through each stage of our ecosystem, enabling them to reach outstanding heights on the world stage. We’re proud to be celebrating female voices with our wonderful partners Kering, and look forward to continuing to recognising their incredible work throughout our programme this year.”
Held at the Jeddah Yacht Club, the gala drew a lineup of international guests, including Uma Thurman, Jessica Alba, Natasha Lyonne, Ana de Armas, Kirsten Dunst, Daniel Kaluuya, Nadine Labaki, Kriti Sanon, Nour Al Ghandour, Dilan Çiçek Deniz and many more.
