Jeddah welcomes global stars as Red Sea International Film Festival opens

The fifth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival — now one of the Middle East's largest cinema events — opened yesterday in Jeddah, marking a significant milestone for Saudi Arabia's rapidly expanding film industry.

Running from December 4 to 13, the festival is showcasing more than 100 films from over 70 countries. Its flagship competition segment, Red Sea: Competition, features 16 narrative features, documentaries and animated films from the Arab world, Asia and Africa, all competing for the coveted Yusr Awards to be handed out at the closing ceremony.

Held in Jeddah's historic Al-Balad district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the festival blends the kingdom's cultural heritage with international filmmaking.

This year's jury is chaired by Oscar-winning filmmaker Sean Baker, known for "Anora", which earned five Academy Awards.

"This festival is really exciting because of how big it's become in only five years," Baker said. "It's rare to see a festival grow this fast in relevance and global impact."

The festival opened with "Giant," a biographical drama about British-Yemeni boxing legend Prince Naseem 'Naz' Hamed. The film stars Egyptian-British actor Amir El-Masry as Naz and Pierce Brosnan as his trainer Brendan Ingle, and is directed by Rowan Athale.

El-Masry said the role required intense preparation. "It was one of the hardest roles I've done. I trained for four and a half weeks and lost nearly eight kilos."

Director Athale described the project as deeply personal. "Naz was a hero to me growing up. To premiere this film here — I've never seen anything like it, not even at Cannes," he said.

The opening night drew major Hollywood and Bollywood names, including Adrien Brody, Sir Michael Caine, Vin Diesel and Ana de Armas. Veteran actor Giancarlo Esposito said the festival highlights cinema's power to bring people together.

Founded by the Saudi Ministry of Culture and supported by the Red Sea Film Foundation, the festival is backed by the kingdom's Public Investment Fund and private sponsors. It forms part of Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the economy, strengthen the cultural sector and develop local creative talent.

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Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in film, gaming and sports as part of its broader economic transformation. However, rights groups have criticised these initiatives, saying they divert attention from concerns over human rights, including high execution rates and restrictions on free expression.