The fourth edition of the fest has selected 15 short films from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morrocco, Egypt and beyond.
The Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) has released the lineup of films qualifying in its Arab Shorts Competition. Fifteen shorts have been selected for this year’s edition, featuring talent from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Jordan, and Lebanon.
This is the fourth edition of the shorts competition that aims to highlight poignant tales traversing cultural, social, and personal landscapes. The Arab Shorts Competition provides emerging and established regional talent a credible platform to achieve international renown, facilitating access to global audiences and industry professionals.
Antoine Khalife, Director of Arab Programs & Film Classics, said: “Storytelling is a powerful tool to preserve and translate rich human experiences beyond the limitations of language and culture. By curating a dynamic and diverse program of short films, the Red Sea International Film Festival’s Arab Shorts paints a vivid portrait of experiences shaping the Arab world. We are thrilled by this year’s programme, which includes truly brilliant films and talent, and reflects the caliber and maturity of the region’s film and entertainment landscape.”
“Arab filmmakers deliver strong messages with an original and innovative cinematographic vision and do not hesitate to tackle themes as varied as the search of oneself, depression, and identity, and all of these are treated with great accuracy, and humor amidst absurd situations.”
This year’s programme centers around themes of identity, memory, and belonging. Alongside amplifying the diversity of Arab cinema, the initiative caters to mounting demand worldwide for diverse and authentic storytelling. Through the Arab Shorts Competition, RSIFF supports and promotes new voices from the Arab world, nurturing a rich pool of talent and facilitating access to key stakeholders and growth opportunities. The platform is instrumental in elevating regional filmmaking talent, having screened more than 120 Arab and Saudi films between 2021 and 2023 alone.
The selected titles for the Arab Shorts programme are: Fragments of Life directed by Anis Ben Dali, Saint Rose directed by Zayn Alexandre, The Signal directed by Nasser Alqattan, Shams directed by Adam Rayan, Chikha directed by Ayoub Layoussifi and Zahoua Raji, African Family Dinner directed by Ibrahim Mursal, In Three Layers of Darkness directed by Houcem Slouli, Children of Barzagh directed by Ahmed Khattab, Mera, Mera, Mera directed by Khaled Zidan, Malika directed by Maram Taibah, Land of God directed by Imad Benomar, Nemshi? directed by Assaf Al Rousan, Fizr directed by Rani Nasr, Zahra directed by Hadi Shatat, One Last Time directed by Karim Rahbani
