"I am very thrilled that the movie received an award at the Red Sea film festival, given the fact that the Red Sea is a huge festival," Saman Hosseinpuor told Rudaw's Payam Sarbast on Friday.
Hosseinpuor, a Kurd from Iran, shared the Silver Yusr for Best Short Film with Ako Zandkarimi for their film Suitcase.
The film tells the story of a Kurdish refugee trying to hold onto the memories of his family while far from home. It is also in competition at the Duhok International Film Festival, which opens Saturday.
"I hope we will be able to produce more videos and send them to the festivals,” said Hosseinpuor.
The Golden Yusr for Best Short Film went to Somewhere in Between, directed by Dahlia Nemlich.
"This is a proud moment," Nemlich said. "And I want to thank all the people that helped me craft this project because without them I would not have been able to do it."
A total of 23 short movies competed for the Golden and Silver prizes.
The third annual Red Sea Film Festival handed out its Yusr Awards on Thursday night, with Zarrar Kahn’s In Flames taking Best Feature and Farah Nabulsi’s The Teacher scoring a pair of wins including Best Actor for Saleh Bakri.
The 10-day festival featured a wide variety of international talent, including films from up-and-coming filmmakers and undiscovered gems. It hosted a selection of artists, filmmakers, and industry professionals from the Arab world and beyond. In addition to the competitions, it offered masterclasses, and workshops to support and encourage emerging talent.
The Red Sea Film Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization founded to assist the Saudi Arabian film industry with production and distribution, as well as education.
