Saudi Arabian Film Pioneer Faisal Baltyuor Appointed Red Sea Film Foundation CEO
Saudi Arabian film industry pioneer Faisal Baltyuor has been appointed CEO of the Red Sea Foundation which oversees the Jeddah-based Red Sea Film Festival, the Red Sea Fund, and its year-round Red Sea Labs.
He will replace acting CEO Mohammed Asseri effective June 1.
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Baltyour has been a driving force in the Saudi film industry ever since a religion-related ban on cinema was lifted in late 2017 holding posts as the first head of Ithra Cinema, which is financed by Saudi Aramco Oil Company, and then by founding and running Saudi distributor CineWaves Films, which has the biggest library of Saudi films, as well as holding the post of CEO at Muvi Studios, the production arm of Saudi' s biggest cinema chain. He recently opened Riyadh's first arthouse cinema called Cinehouse.
As a producer Baltyour executive produced groundbreaking Saudi director Haifaa Al Mansour's 'The Perfect Candidate,' which launched from Venice in 2019, and Saudi concept comedy 'Sattar,' a local megahit. He is also a producer on the Saudi Netflix Original 'From the Ashes' which ranked among the top 10 most-watched films on the streamer across 40 countries. Baltyour also co-produced Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani's 'Goodbye Julia' which won the Prix de la Liberté at Cannes in in 2023.
'From its inception, the Red Sea Film Foundation has been driven by a singular mission: to ignite a cinematic renaissance across Saudi Arabia and the broader region,' said Red Sea Film Foundation Chairwoman Jomana Al-Rashid in a statement.
'We are delighted to welcome Faisal to this transformative journey,' she added. 'His visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to unlocking the boundless potential of emerging talent will fuel not only artistic excellence but also the sustainable growth of our industry.'
Commented Baltyour: 'I am deeply honoured to assume the position of CEO at the Red Sea Film Foundation, a leading institution at the forefront of Saudi Arabia's cultural and cinematic evolution. In a remarkably short time, the foundation has secured its place on the global festival map, and we are committed to building on this success. Through our diverse programmes, we will continue to support a thriving film industry both locally and internationally, in line with the ambitions of Vision 2030, which places the creative sector at the heart of national development.'
The upcoming fifth edition of the Red Sea Film Festival will run Dec. 4-13 in Jeddah, on the Red Sea's eastern shore.
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