Red Sea Film Festival: Priyanka Chopra, Jessica Alba and Nadine Labaki among guests


  • English
  • Arabic

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.

Priyanka Chopra attends the Women in Cinema event during the Red Sea International Film Festival. Getty Images
Priyanka Chopra attends the Women in Cinema event during the Red Sea International Film Festival. Getty Images

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.

Lucy Hale on the red carpet for the Women in Cinema event at Red Sea International Film Festival. Getty Images
Lucy Hale on the red carpet for the Women in Cinema event at Red Sea International Film Festival. Getty Images

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.

Egyptian actress Yousra speaks onstage during the opening gala of the Red Sea International Film Festival. Getty Images
Egyptian actress Yousra speaks onstage during the opening gala of the Red Sea International Film Festival. Getty Images

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

FA Cup quarter-final draw

The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March

Sheffield United v Arsenal

Newcastle v Manchester City

Norwich v Derby/Manchester United

Leicester City v Chelsea

Star%20Wars%3A%20Ahsoka%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Various%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rosario%20Dawson%2C%20Natasha%20Liu%20Bordizzo%2C%20Lars%20Mikkelsen%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Which honey takes your fancy?

Al Ghaf Honey

The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year

Sidr Honey

The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest

Samar Honey

The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments

THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

THE CLOWN OF GAZA

Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah 

Starring: Alaa Meqdad

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Masters%20of%20the%20Air
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cary%20Joji%20Fukunaga%2C%20Dee%20Rees%2C%20Anna%20Boden%2C%20Ryan%20Fleck%2C%20Tim%20Van%20Patten%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Austin%20Butler%2C%20Callum%20Turner%2C%20Anthony%20Boyle%2C%20Barry%20Keoghan%2C%20Sawyer%20Spielberg%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%20turbo%20and%203.6-litre%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20235hp%20and%20310hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E258Nm%20and%20271Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh185%2C100%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

North Pole stats

Distance covered: 160km

Temperature: -40°C

Weight of equipment: 45kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 0

Terrain: Ice rock

South Pole stats

Distance covered: 130km

Temperature: -50°C

Weight of equipment: 50kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300

Terrain: Flat ice
 

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape

THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EBattery%3A%2060kW%20lithium-ion%20phosphate%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20Up%20to%20201bhp%3Cbr%3E0%20to%20100kph%3A%207.3%20seconds%3Cbr%3ERange%3A%20418km%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh149%2C900%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: December 04, 2022, 11:10 AM`