“We have just started”. This is the promise that Jomana Alrashid rips from the stage of the Red Sea International Film Festival on the occasion of the closing ceremony of this second edition based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, capable of bringing together dozens of international guests and hundreds of carefully selected films to allow cinema to be what we all would like it to be: a bridge between different countries and cultures. «Encouraging young people to recognize beauty and helping them to create something unique and special is fundamental for us», continues Alrashid, thanking all the guests who, at the Red Sea International Film Festival, managed to frame the film through different nuances, showing what a way to be able to represent the diversity of all cultures. «We will continue on this path, this is our challenge: to create a global community that can support each other and can sustain the world of cinema». comments Jomana, whose enthusiasm is combined with that of Mohammed Al Turki. “It’s incredible to see so many emerging directors and so many professionals confronting each other to give life to such a rich and invaluable dialogue,” explains Al Turki before getting to the heart of announcing the winners of this edition.
Along with a special prize collected by Jackie Chan – who takes advantage of the Red Sea stage set up in the external garden of the very luxurious Ritz-Carlon Hotel to celebrate his sixty-year career -, several celebrities take turns on the main stage – from supermodel Naomi Campbell to Arab film star Yusra – to award prizes to candidates. The heaviest prize of the evening, the one for the best film among the 16 that took part in the official selection, is Hanging Gardens by Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji, a co-production that saw Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia working on the same project. The film, also presented in Venice, is a profound reflection on discovery of male sexuality against the backdrop of a society on the verge of degradation. In the center of the story are two brothers – Taha As’ad. They make a living rummaging through landfill rubbish until As’ad accidentally finds an American blow-up doll, setting off a sometimes grotesque and sometimes formative journey between discovery and growth.
The film also wins the Silver Yusr for Best Cinematic Achievement, while the Silver Yusr for Best Actor goes to Adam Bessa for Harkaa film which saw the participation of Tunisia and France. The best actress is, however, the amazing Adila Bendimerad, absolute protagonist of The last queenwhile the prize for best screenplay goes to the Iranian film A childless village by Reza Jamali. The Silver Yusr Jury Prize, i.e. the special prize awarded by the jury headed by Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone, goes, instead, to Within sand by Mohammed Alatawi, a Saudi Arabian film received with a standing ovation by the audience of the Red Sea International Film Festival. The Silver Yusr for Best Director goes to Lotify Nathan for the film Harka, making President Stone particularly proud of the work he has done. “It was magical for me to evaluate 16 beautiful films that spoke of beauty, pain, suffering and a great desire to live”, explains Stone in a video message projected on the maxi-screen of the stage in the presence of excellent guests in the audience such as Antonio Banderas, Jackie Chan and Mike Tyson. The other awards were: Audience Award Best Saudi Film a How I got there by Zeyad Alhusaini; the Audience Award for the Best Film ad Ajdomma dthe He Shuming of South Korea and Singapore; the Red Sea Virtual Reality Award Silver Yusr a Eurydice by Celine Daemen (Netherlands); the Gold Yusr a From the main square by Pedro Harres (Germany); the Silver Yusr for Best Short Film a Will my parents come to see me by Muhamed Bashir Harawe (Somalia, Austria and Germany), and finally the Golden Yusr for the Short Film to On my father’s grave by Jawahine Zentar (Morocco, France). The young and beautiful Sarah Taibah, winner of Chopard’s The Young Rising Star award, main sponsor of the Red Sea International Film Festival, comes full circle, while the sky is filled with fireworks and Saudi Arabia welcomes the beauty that cinema from all over the world is able to give birth to and welcome.
Sharon Stone at the Red Sea International Film Festival 2022: «Fame destroyed my life»
Lucas Bravo at the Red Sea International Film Festival 2022: «Beauty is relative»
Women in Cinema: the magical dinner of Vanity Fair and Red Sea International Film Festival in honor of women of cinema
To receive the other cover of Vanity Fair(and much more), subscribe to Vanity Weekend.
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
