• Two short films — “Afen” by Nawaf Alkinani and “Hello My Dear” by Ahmad Salam — will screen outside the official competition lineup

Arab News

JEDDAH: The Red Sea Film Foundation is participating in the 11th edition of the Saudi Film Festival, running from April 17-23 at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran, as part of its ongoing efforts to support the Kingdom’s film industry.

Through its flagship initiative, the Red Sea Fund, the foundation will present two awards of SR 25,000 ($6,668) each for outstanding Saudi film projects in the Development and Production categories.

This year, five foundation-backed titles are screening at the festival, including three films selected for the official competition: “Hobal” by Abdulaziz Alshlahei, “Songs of Adam” by Oday Rasheed, and “My Driver and I” by Ahd Kamel.

Two short films — “Afen” by Nawaf Alkinani and “Hello My Dear” by Ahmad Salam — will screen outside the official competition lineup.

The foundation will also take part in the SFF’s Production Market, showcasing its key initiatives: the Red Sea Souk, Red Sea Labs, and the Red Sea Fund, all of which, the foundation said in a press release, “provide filmmakers with essential financial, creative, and logistical support across all stages of the filmmaking journey.”

Since its establishment in 2019, the Red Sea Film Foundation has, it stated, “played a central role in shaping the region’s cinematic landscape through a range of local and international initiatives spanning production, distribution, education and training. Its mission continues to focus on nurturing a new generation of storytellers and contributing to a thriving, sustainable film ecosystem across Saudi Arabia, Africa and Asia.”

The Saudi Film Festival was founded in 2008 and is the Kingdom’s longest-running cinema-related event.

Visit the Ithra website for showtimes.