Last year’s edition featured 143 films from 66 countries to 39,410 filmgoers and 4,345 film professionals, media and students, with an overall percentage capacity increase of 12%.
The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF) has announced that the third edition will take place from November 30 – December 9, 2023, in Jeddah.
The second edition was widely applauded for significantly expanding the industry and events programme alongside presenting 143 films from 66 countries to 39,410 filmgoers and 4,345 film professionals, media and students, with an overall percentage capacity increase of 12%.
The second film festival showcased seven new Saudi feature films and 16 short films from a wave of filmmakers, demonstrating the flourishing local industry and innovative filmmakers responsible for driving and bringing a new vibrancy to Saudi cinema.
Throughout the year the festival supports the next generation of filmmakers and since 2019, the Red Sea Film Foundation has supported the development, production, and post-production of 170 films from the Arab world and Africa.
The Souk comprised the Project Market with 23 projects, six work-in-progress films, 50 exhibition stands, 13-panel discussions and facilitated over 1190 meetings across all the Souk initiatives including Talent days, a two-day initiative designed to support the development of the next-generation of Saudi filmmakers. The Red Sea Souk concluded with more than a million USD awarded to projects selected in the Red Sea Souk Awards
Mohammed Al Turki, CEO of RedSeaIFF, said: “Our second edition was a huge success and signified that the Red Sea International Film Festival is evolving into a global event that we are very proud of and grateful to everyone who supported us. We are still navigating our way being a young festival and film industry but have been delighted with the feedback from the local community, regional and international guests. We were honoured to welcome some of the leading voices in Hollywood, Bollywood, South Korea, Africa and Arab cinema, sharing their journeys to the big screen with a new generation of Saudi creatives who are capturing the attention of the global film industry. Throughout the year, we will continue to support emerging filmmakers, welcome productions to shoot against our extraordinary landscapes and plan for our third edition as we continue to make our mark on the Festival circuit.”
