Red Sea International Film Festival announces dates for fifth edition
The Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) has officially set the dates for its fifth edition, scheduled to take place from December 4-13, 2025, in Al-Balad, the historic heart of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Celebrating its fifth anniversary, RSIFF aims to build on its legacy of promoting cinematic excellence, fostering creativity and supporting filmmakers from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The announcement follows the success of RSIFF 2024, which saw record-breaking attendance and a star-studded lineup of global industry leaders.
The fourth edition, held from December 5-14, 2024, transformed Jeddah's Al-Balad district into a global hub for film, attracting over 40,000 attendees and nearly 7,000 accredited guests. Featuring 122 films from 85 countries—including 61 premieres—the festival further cemented its position as a major cultural and industry event.
RSIFF 2024's industry-focused Red Sea Souk also had a strong presence, hosting 142 exhibiting companies, 40 expert speakers and the Souk Project Market, which featured 24 projects in development or production. The festival's juries, led by acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee, awarded top honors across 14 competition categories, recognizing emerging and established talent.
The red carpet was graced by international stars such as Emily Blunt, Viola Davis, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Aamir Khan, Mona Zaki, Michelle Yeoh, Johnny Depp and many more. Additionally, 25 In-Conversation sessions allowed audiences to engage with cinematic icons, including Brendan Fraser, Cynthia Erivo, and Spike Lee.
Furthering its commitment to talent development, the Red Sea Fund has now supported over 280 projects, including an Oscar-nominated film, reinforcing its role as a key driver in the regional and global film industry.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Broadcast Pro
12 hours ago
- Broadcast Pro
Red Sea Fund 2025 invites submissions for fourth cycle
The deadline for submissions is August 21, 2024. The Red Sea Fund, an initiative of the Red Sea Film Foundation, has opened applications for its fourth 2025 cycle, inviting filmmakers from Saudi Arabia, the Arab world, Africa and Asia to apply for post-production grants. The deadline for submissions is August 21. This funding round is dedicated to projects that have completed filming and are entering the post-production stage, covering essential processes such as editing, colour grading, sound design, mixing and other technical elements required to finalise a film for festival screenings or distribution. Since its launch in 2021, the Red Sea Fund has backed more than 280 film projects, many of which have gone on to win critical acclaim and prestigious awards at major international festivals. Eligible projects must be feature-length fiction, documentary, or animation films with a minimum runtime of 60 minutes. The director must be of African, Asian or Arab nationality or origin, and applicants must submit a complete rough cut of the film, at least 60 minutes long, via a private online viewing link. Non-English dialogue must be subtitled in English. Applications must also include a range of mandatory materials, such as a logline, synopsis, chain of titles, final script or treatment, full budget breakdown, financial plan, post-production spending plan, project timelines, director/producer biographies, a mood board and a release and distribution strategy. Only complete online applications submitted according to the form's requirements will be reviewed. Applicants will be notified of the Red Sea Fund Committee's decision approximately ten weeks after the closing date. The committee's decision is final and will not be accompanied by feedback. Selected projects will receive an official letter outlining the amount of financial support and next steps. Successful applicants must confirm acceptance within the specified time and sign a post-production funding agreement within four weeks of acceptance.
Khaleej Times
03-08-2025
- Khaleej Times
John Krasinski returns to direct, write 'A Quiet Place III'
It's time to head back to 'A Quiet Place'! John Krasinski has officially confirmed the franchise's return with the much-awaited third installment. Taking to Instagram, the director shared the update along with an ominous poster. Krasinski also revealed the release date for A Quiet Place III. View this post on Instagram A post shared by John Krasinski (@johnkrasinski) The third film will be released in 2027. Krasinski, who earlier pulled off double duty by writing and directing the first two films, will return to the director's chair and will once again helm the story, reported Deadline. While plot details for the film are under wraps, it's likely that the alien-like creatures with very sharp hearing will return to hunt the humans. It is yet to be seen if Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, and Millicent Simmonds will return in the sequel. They co-starred with Krasinski in the first film. Meanwhile, Kransinski is not likely to return following his character's death; however, fans can count on the franchise's flashbacks. The first film introduced the Abbott family — the husband (Krasinski), his pregnant wife (Blunt), a deaf daughter (Simmonds), and a young son (Jupe), who fight to survive on the rural farmhouse overrun by the monstrous creatures. Part II saw the wife and the children leaving the house after taking down one of the aliens in the wake of the husband's death. The Quiet Place franchise has grossed more than $900 million (Dh3.35 billion) worldwide across the three films, according to Variety. A Quiet Place III is being produced by Krasinski and Allyson Seeger's Sunday Night Productions alongside Platinum Dunes, Deadline reported. It serves as the actor-filmmaker's return to the franchise after the 2024 prequel, A Quiet Place: Day One. The spin-off depicted the early stages of the alien apocalypse seen in the original films. Part III is set to hit theatres on July 9, 2027.
Broadcast Pro
25-07-2025
- Broadcast Pro
Zawya Cinema screens Yemeni film ‘The Burdened'
The film is based on true events that took place in Aden around 2019. Yemeni film, The Burdened, which served as Yemen's official submission for Best Foreign Film at the 96th Academy Awards, is screening at Cairo's Zawya Cinema until July 29. Directed and co-written by Amr Gamal alongside Mazen Refaat, lensed by Mrinal Desai, edited by Heba Othman, and co-produced by Amjad Abu Alala, The Burdened boasts a stellar cast featuring Khaled Hamdan, Abeer Mohammed, Samah Alamrani, and Awsam Abdulrahman. The film is produced by Mohsen Alkhalifi and Amr Gamal at Adenium Productions, with co-production support from Amjad Abu Alala, Mohammed Alomda at Station Films, and the Red Sea International Film Festival. It also brings together Yemen, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia in a landmark co-production that was first brought to international attention at the 2022 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it earned the Works in Progress Post-Production Development Award in the festival's industry sidebar, Eastern Promises. MAD Solutions is managing the film's distribution in the Arab world, while Films Boutique is managing its international sales. The narrative of The Burdened, based on true events in Aden circa 2019, unfolds the challenges faced by a married couple and their three children after both lose their jobs due to the economic crisis gripping the country. The story takes a poignant turn when the mother discovers she is expecting a fourth child, prompting the family to grapple with conservative societal norms as they attempt to secure an abortion, ultimately making tough decisions for survival. Following its world premiere at the Berlinale's Panorama Section, where it became the first Yemeni film officially selected at the German festival, The Burdened achieved acclaim by winning the Amnesty International Film Award and the second-place Audience Award. The film continued its success by screening at prestigious film festivals worldwide, securing accolades such as the Best Screenplay Award at Durban, the Best Directing and Best Screenplay Jury Awards at Valencia, a Special Jury Award for Best Film at the Taipei Film Festival, and the Gold Hugo Award at the Chicago International Film Festival. The film embarked on a notable festival tour, participating in events like the Shanghai, Sydney, Beijing, Golden Apricot Yerevan, Cairo, Zurich, War On Screen, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Rio de Janeiro, and Bergen film festivals, in addition to competing at the Septimius Awards. Amr Gamal, an independent Yemeni film and theatre director born in Poland in 1983, spearheads this cinematic venture.
