The third edition of Red Sea International Film Festival opened on Thursday, November 30 with a ceremony that added local interests and humour to the standard festival event template.
Stars including Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Sharon Stone, Michelle Williams, Sofia Vergara, Diane Kruger and Ranveer Singh were in attendance at the 1,000-seat Grand Ballroom in the Ritz-Carlton Jeddah, for a one-hour ceremony prior to the world premiere of Yasir Alyasiri’s Saudi fantasy romance HWJN. Screen’s review described the film as ”an entertaining, swashbuckling fantasy epic.”
Smith took his time to pose for dozens of selfies even inside the venue while Depp made a more discreet arrival shortly afterwards.
Eventually getting underway over 45 minutes after the scheduled start, the event began with a performance of local music by an 18-strong dance troupe – a Saudi version of the kind of show put on by European festivals such as Karlovy Vary. Video messages on the vast screens behind told guests they would have their souls enriched and boundaries pushed, “in perpetual pursuit of perspective.” The on-screen footage was equally dedicated to promoting Saudi Arabia as a region for filmmaking as to the 130-strong film selection.
The ceremony was hosted by Saudi actor and comedian Mohamed Al Dokhei, who stars in festival title Night Courier, alongside Lebanese presenter Raya Abirached. Al Dokhei cracked jokes throughout, including an early callout to Smith, referencing the US actor’s hit franchise Bad Boys. “Will, I’m the baddest boy on this planet, if you need a bad boy call me,” said Al Dokhei. There was no reference to Smith’s Oscars slap throughout the evening.
Three honorees were presented with their awards: German actress Kruger, Indian star Singh and Saudi actor Abdullah Al-Sadhan. Kruger began her speech saying “Now more than ever is the time to tell female stories”; while Singh critiqued the video reel of his career that was played before his award. “I’ve got more depth and gravitas than that AV!” said the actor, who joked that he was concerned about how it would appear to his heroes in the audience, including Johnny Depp.
Red Sea Competition jury president Baz Luhrmann also took to the stage with his jury of Freida Pinto, Joel Kinnaman, Amina Khalil and Paz Vega. The Australian director expressed his excitement at coming to a territory that had no cinema for 35 years prior to 2018. Luhrmann then revealed his willingness to shoot a film in Saudi Arabia, saying “I’m available to make a movie if you want me.”
In a moment of confusion when the jurors lined up for an on-stage photo, Luhrmann took control, ‘directing’ them and the audience, who he said were “extras” for the scene.
Creases
As could be expected of a festival in only its third edition, there were still creases to be ironed out. No video feed of the on-stage events was provided, straining the vision of those sat at the back of the cavernous ballroom; and while a welcome relief from the outdoor heat, the icy air conditioning in the room was an issue for those without jackets. Once HWJN eventually got underway at 21.40, the English subtitles contained occasional grammatical and spelling errors, and oddly-translated phrases (example: ‘They can control their mud dimension’).
With cinema still in its infancy in Saudi Arabia, the local audience engaged with the screening in a different manner to those at many international film events. Around one third of the audience left the screening once the ceremony closed and before the film rolled. Among those who stayed, many held conversations as the film played; and more guests left throughout the screening, leaving a relatively sparse audience to catch the Marvel-style mid-credits scene at 23.50.
There was no sense of the departures being in dissent at the film; rather of an audience engaging with cinema on its own terms. Many may have been keen to get to the post-screening party in the Ritz-Carlton’s festival garden, where guests enjoyed non-alcoholic wines and cocktails, and a substantial selection of local foods, until the early hours.
Red Sea Competition section screenings on Friday, December 1 include competition titles Behind The Mountains, Hiding Saddam Hussein and Dear Jassi. The festival runs until Saturday December 9, closing with Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy And The Heron.
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