Many stars, from Bollywood to Hollywood, have already descended on the red carpet of the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah over the past few days.
Only in its second year, the festival has drawn strong star power, as the region continues to stake its claim in international show business.
Scroll through the gallery above to see some of the most famous celebrities spotted at the Saudi event
"We have a unique opportunity to make new films accessible to wider audiences, showcase the work of exciting new voices and make a meaningful contribution to the Saudi culture and wider region," Mohammed Al Turki, the festival’s chief executive, said during the opening on Thursday.
The festival is taking place at The Ritz-Carlton, Jeddah until December 10.
The event has seen an eye-catching parade of several Arab and international celebrities so far. Indian star Priyanka Chopra Jonas was a head-turner in her bright yellow satin gown during the Women in Cinema red carpet event.
Other esteemed Indian personalities spotted at the festival include Shah Rukh Khan, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja and Freida Pinto, who is known for her critically-acclaimed performance in the 2008 Oscar-winner Slumdog Millionaire.
"Last night was spectacular and brilliant in every which way," Pinto, who also turned heads in a yellow gown by Lebanese designer Elie Saab, said in an Instagram post after the gala.
Hollywood has also been well represented at the Saudi event, with the likes of Lucy Hale, Michelle Rodriguez and Jessica Alba strutting the Women in Cinema red carpet.
Hale is best known for her role as Aria Montgomery, one of the lead characters in hit TV show Pretty Little Liars.
Rodriguez, on the other hand, is famous for playing street racer Letty Ortiz in the Fast & Furious franchise. She also starred in the Resident Evil films, as well as the 2009 big-screen behemoth Avatar by James Cameron.
Wearing an embellished Elie Saab dress, American actress and entrepreneur Alba also walked the red carpet.
Other Hollywood guests spotted at the female-focused segment of the festival were Sharon Stone, Jacqui Ainsley Ritchie, Elle Macpherson and American dancer Julianne Hough.
The festival, which features 131 films from 61 countries in dozens of languages, also has a visitor all the way from South Korea — Squid Game actor Park Hae-soo. Since the phenomenal Netflix hit, Park has been busy shooting other projects with Netflix, including a Korean version of the Spanish suspense-drama Money Heist.
Of course, the Red Sea International Film Festival is inundated with A-list actors and actresses from the Middle East and North Africa region. Saudi actress Mila Al Zahrani was spotted during the opening, as well as Hussein Fahmy, Yousra and Nelly Karim from Egypt.
Lebanese superstars Nicolas Mouawad and Nadine Nassib Njeim also graced the opening gala.
The festival will feature talks from some of the celebrity attendees, including Lebanese director Nadine Labaki, whose Capernaum drew global recognition from Cannes and the Oscars.
Other famous personalities at the festival include Victoria's Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio, British filmmakers Guy Ritchie and Gurinder Chadha, and Oscar-winning director, producer and screenwriter Oliver Stone, who leads the jury.
Scroll through the gallery below to see the opening night at the Red Sea Film Festival 2022
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Priyanka Chopra at the screening of What's Love Got To Do With It? at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. All photos: Getty Images -
Indian actor Shahrukh Khan at the event -
Sharon Stone at the event -
Michelle at the What's Love Got To Do With It? screening -
Kaleem Aftab, Kajol and Shahrukh Khan at the screening of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge -
Andy Garcia at the event -
Julianne at the What's Love Got To Do With It? screening -
Alessandra Ambrosio at the event -
Naughty Boy, Jemima Khan and Sajal Ali at the Opening Night Gala -
The Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge screening at the Red Sea International Film Festival -
Kaleem Aftab and Antoine Khalife at the event -
Indian composer A R Rahman -
Naughty Boy, Jemima Khan, Sajal Ali, Shabana Azmi, Jeff Mirza and chief executive of Red Sea International Film Festival, Mohammed Al Turki, during the Opening Night Gala -
Fatima Al-Banawi, far right, and guests at the event -
British director Guy Ritchie at the event -
American model Jasmine Tookes -
Eleonora Brunacci and Mariano Di Vaio at the event -
Oliver Stone, president of the Red Sea Features Competition Jury -
Shah Rukh Khan, left, and Mohammed Al Turki -
Spanish actress Maria Pedraza at the event -
Thai actress Bella Ranee Campen at the screening of What's Love Got To Do With It? -
Lebanese actress Stephanie Saliba -
Indian actress Freida Pinto at the event -
American actress Lucy Hale -
Iranian model Mahlagha Jaberi -
A performance during the Opening Night Gala -
Guests at the Bruno Mars performance -
Nicolas Mouawad, centre, at the event -
Mohammed Al Turki, chief executive of Red Sea International Film Festival, right, with Ritchie -
The second Red Sea International Film Festival is on until December 10
