The festival, held in Jeddah, seeks to highlight young and talented filmmakers by helping them build bridges to the film world.
A specific section of the festival named “Arab stars of tomorrow” is dedicated to showcasing and supporting Arab youth to build a future in the film industry. The panel showcases five emerging talents from the Middle East and North Africa, featuring the most promising young performers, authors, and filmmakers who are ready for their breakthrough on the global scene.
The cast of this year includes Jordan's Cynthia Madanat Sharaiha, Egyptian writer and director Morad Mostafa, Palestinian actor Muhammad Abed El Rahman, Saudi actress and poet Adwa Bader, and Jordanian actress Noor Taher.
Taher, who has dreamt of becoming a famous actress since she was six-years-old, rose to prominence across the region and beyond for her role in Netflix's 2021 Arabic original series AlRawabi School For Girls.
“It is a great place to make connections and I met great casting directors, a talent manager, and great directors, so it is a great place to make connections, and Red Sea Film Festival makes sure to set up these places where people can mingle and get to know each other,” Taher told Rudaw’s Payam Sarbast on Saturday.
“The festival is well-organized and it is a chance for a lot of people to mark their projects here and we thought it is a great opportunity to come here,” Klara Mucci, a Croatian actress, told Rudaw.
The festival's film program features a wide variety of international genres and styles, including films from up-and-coming talent to undiscovered gems.
The festival hosts a selection of artistic talents, filmmakers, and industry professionals from the Arab world and beyond through its platform, as well as film competitions in the feature and short film categories, concerts, masterclasses, and workshops aimed at supporting, developing, and encouraging emerging talent.
The Red Sea Film Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization founded to assist the Saudi film industry in film production and distribution, as well as film education. The foundation's initiatives support the Kingdom's ambitious plans in the entertainment industries, which are built on the pillars of a vibrant society, an ambitious nation, and a thriving economy.
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