RedSeaIFF announces lineup for Festival Favourites section

Speaking about the new section, Kaleem Aftab, Director of International Programming for the RedSeaIFF, said: “The films that complete the Festival Favourites section are some of the very best films from the past year and represent some of the most dynamic and ground-breaking elements of filmmaking, whilst also being truly beloved films by critics and audiences alike. We anticipate that these films will open a new world of cinema to Jeddah audiences. Our hope with the Festival Favorites section is that audiences can discover new films that will instantly become classics for them, with deeply resonant stories that they want to return to time and time again. The majority of these films will be premiering in the Arab region, and we are honoured to be able to showcase some truly incredible films from this year’s festival circuit.”

Antoine Khalife, Director of Arab Programs and Film Classics of the RedSeaIFF said: “We hope that after the past year, the Festival Favorites section can help celebrate the diversity of stories from across the world. From deeply personal documentaries to equally moving works of fiction, each film in this section speaks authentically to the very best cinema has to offer. We anticipate that these films will continue to succeed critically and receive universal acclaim, and we are thrilled to be able to show them to Saudi audiences.”

The film includes Apples, directorial debut of Greek director Christos Nikou, As In Heaven, directed and adapted for the screen by Tea Lindeburg, Iranian writer and director Firouzeh Khosrovani’s latest documentary Radiograph of a Family, American director Tony Stone’s Ted K, The Stranger, directorial debut of Syrian writer and director Ameer Fakher Eldin, French writer and director Lucile Hadžihalilović’s English language debut Earwig, The Innocents from Norwegian writer and director Eskil Vogt, Written and directed by acclaimed Brazilian filmmaker Karim Aïnouz, Mariner of the Mountains, The Sea Ahead, feature directorial debut from Lebanese writer and director Ely Dagher, Egyptian writer and director Mohamed Diab’s latest feature Amira, Italian-American writer and director Jonas Carpignano’s A Chiara, Official Competition, Co-directed by Argentine directors Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn, The Gravedigger’s Wife, directorial debut of Finnish-Somali director and writer Khadar Ayderus Ahmed, Romanian director Radu Muntean’s latest film, Întregalde, Paris-based Argentine director Gaspar Noé’s Vortex, Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s latest feature A Hero, Feathers, directorial debut of Egyptian writer and director Omar Al Zohairy, Tunisian writer and director Leyla Bouzid’s second feature A Tale of Love and Desire, and directorial debut of award-winning writer and director Jimmy Keyrouz’s Broken Keys.

The inaugural edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival will run in Jeddah from December 6-15, 2021.