Red Sea Film Festival closes on a celebratory note: 'The future is bright for Saudi film'

Festival chairman Mohammed Al Turki said: 'We have learnt a lot that we will now build upon for our second edition'

Mohammed Al Turki and Naomi Campbell at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

Saudi actress Fay Fouad arrives on the red carpet during the closing ceremony of the first Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia's coastal city of Jeddah. Photo: Red Sea Film Festival / AFP

Yasmine Sabri. Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

Swamy Rotolo, right, and guest on the red carpet. Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

Shawkat Amin Korki and Avan Jamal. Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

Salma Abu-Deif. Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

Dorra Zarrouk. Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

Kurdish actress Avan Jamal. AP Photo

Tunisian actress Hend Sabry. AP Photo

Alejandra Oneiva and Maria Pedraza. Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

Amy Jackson. Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

Saudi actress Fatima Al Banawi. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival / AFP

Egyptian actress Yasmine Sabr. AP Photo

British actor Ed Westwick. AP Photo

Ramata-Toulaye Sy and Hassan Saeed Madlough. Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

Ida Alkusay. Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

Saudi actress Sarah Taibah. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival / AFP

Saudi actress and director Ahed Kamel chats with Red Sea International Film Festival chairman Mohamed Turki on the red carpet. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival / AFP

Mohammed Al Turki speaks on stage at the closing night Award Ceremony at Red Sea International Film Festival. Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

From left, Victoria Mapplebeck, Laurie Anderson and Sarah Mohanna Al Abdali receive an Immersive Jury Honour from Mohammed Al Turki. Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

Indonesian actress Ara Winda Kirana receives her Best Actress award for her role in the film 'Yuni'. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival / AFP

Egyptian film director Dina Amer receives the Audience Award for the film 'You Resemble Me' during the closing ceremony of the first edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival / AFP

Marwan Hamed, right, presents the Short Competition Golden Yusr award for 'Tala'vision' to Murad Abu Eisheh. Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

British-Libyan actor Adam Ali, right, receives his Best Actor award for his role in the film 'Europa'. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival / AFP

Italian-Iraqi film director Haider Rashid receives his Best Director award for his film 'Europa'. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival / AFP

Dina Amer, third from right; Djino Grimaudo, fourth from left; and Lorenza Grimaudo, third from left; and guests are presented their Audience Award for 'You Resemble Me' by Mohammed Al Turki and Naomi Campbell. Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

From left, Giuseppe Tornatore, Hend Sabry, Cherien Dabis, Daniela Michel, Abdulaziz Alshlahei receive the Competition Jury Honours from Mohammed Al Turki at the closing night Award Ceremony. Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

Georgian director Levan Koguashvili, second left, receives the Best Film award. AFP

Fatima Al Banawi applauds at the closing night Award Ceremony at Red Sea International Film Festival. Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

From left, Spanish actress Alejandra Onieva, US actor Rob Raco, and Spanish actress Maria Pedraza attend the Red Sea International Film Festival closing ceremony. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival / AFP

US-Egyptian film director Dina Amer, second from left; and her teammates - from left, Djino Grimaudo, Ilona Grimaudo and Lorenza Grimaudo pose for a photo after the closing ceremony. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival / AFP

Saudi film director Hamzah Jamjoom, producer Aymen Khoja, and actors Fayez Bin Jurays and Sumaya Rida pose with their Best Saudi Film award for 'Rupture'. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival / AFP

Kurdish-Swiss film director Mano Khalil posing with his Best Screenplay award for his film 'Neighbours'. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival / AFP

Haider Rashid poses with his Best Director award for his film 'Europa'. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival / AFP

US-Egyptian film director Dina Amer poses with the Audience Award for 'You Resemble Me'. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival / AFP

British-Libyan actor Adam Ali posing with his Best Actor award for his role in the film 'Europa'. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival / AFP

Indonesian actress Ara Winda Kirana posing with her Best Actress award for her role in the film 'Yuni'. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival / AFP

Jordanian film director Darin Sallam poses with her Special Mention award for the film 'Farha'. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival / AFP

Fayez Bin Jurays poses with the Best Saudi Film award for 'Rupture'. Photo: Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

Jordanian film director Murad Abu Eisheh posing with his Short Competition Golden Yusr award for his film 'Tala-Vision'. Photo: Red Sea International Film Festival / AFP

In its closing awards ceremony, the Red Sea International Film Festival concluded in much the same pizzazz as it began, albeit in a bit more unwound and celebratory note.

While there was an air of suspense on opening night of how Saudi Arabia’s first film festival would fare, the unprecedented bustle that had overtaken the historic Al-Balad district over the past week was one measure of the event’s success.

The festival screened 170 films from across the world. A third of those were works by female filmmakers, and 27 of them Saudi films.

“I am immensely proud of our team who have worked tirelessly around the clock to deliver a festival that, I believe, has exceeded expectations,” Mohammed Al Turki, chairman of the festival, said during the awards ceremony. He also thanked filmmakers “for trusting us to share their stories and vision over the past 10 days, which have made us look at the world a little differently.

“This was our first-ever international film festival. We have learnt a lot that we will now build upon for our second edition.”

Several films by established regional filmmakers made their Arab premieres at the festival, including Huda’s Salon by Palestinian filmmaker Hany Abu Assad and Communion by Nejib Belkadhi. Favourites from the global festival circuit included Haider Rashid’s Europa, which won two awards at the inaugural Yusr awards, and Brighton 4th by Georgian filmmaker Levan Koguashvili, which won the award for best feature.

The festival was also a springboard for emerging Arab directors who were premiering their debut films for the first time in the region, including You Resemble Me, the Audience Award-winning feature of Egyptian-American filmmaker and journalist Dina Amer, as well as Jordanian filmmaker Darin Sallam’s Farha, which was awarded the Special Mention prize.

However, while the festival was a focused move in bringing global cinema to Saudi Arabia, perhaps more significant was its bolstering of new Saudi talents.

The festival screened works by emerging female Saudi directors including Sara Mesfer, Jawaher Alamri, Noor Alameer, Hind Al Fahhad and Fatima Al Banawi. The works by the five filmmakers were screened as part of a compilation called Becoming, and examine Saudi identity as well as the country’s ever-changing society.

Another compilation, Quareer, which features the works of Ragheed Al Nahdi, Norah Almowald, Ruba Khafagy, Fatma Alhazmi and Noor Alameer, explored sensitive themes of abandonment, neglect, shame and abuse within a conservative society.

Feature works by Saudi filmmakers included Fay’s Palette by Hisham Fageeh as well as Rupture by Hamzah K Jamjoom, which was awarded the Yusr prize for Best Saudi Film.

“The future is bright for Saudi film and our first festival is just the beginning,” Al Turki said during the award ceremony. “We are here to stay and we are here to celebrate and recognise filmmakers and talent."