We have covered the Red Sea Film Festival since its inception in 2021, and we have witnessed some major changes since. Held in Jeddah during the last month of the year, the event started out as a little-known showcase of Arab and international films. It has now firmly established itself as one of the most prominent film festival platforms and marketplaces in the Arab world and beyond. This year the event included more than 100 films, and issued more than 30,000 tickets. One aspect that hasn’t changed over the years is the abundance of international talent – particularly super stars – on the red carpet. This year Juliette Binoche, Sigourney Weaver, Uma Thurman, Johnny Depp, Sir Michael Caine and Sir Anthony Hopkins were amongst such people.
The two big award winners at this edition of the Red Sea had distinctly political flavours. The Golden Yusr, the event’s top prize, went to Akio Fujimoto’s Lost Land, about two Rohingya refugees (fleeing persecution and genocide in Myanmar) living in Bangladesh and fighting to be reunited with their families in Malaysia. The movie features a cast of 200 Rohingya people. The Silver Yusr Award went to Cherin Dabis’s All That’s Left of You, a historical Palestinian drama about the ethics of solidarity and a Palestinian family resisting 75 years of brutal occupation.
Our dirty favourites include our editor’s film of the year, Kaouther Ben-Hania’s The Voice of Hund Rajab (which won the second highest prize at Venice, and has received a Golden Globe nomination). It recreates the story of the titular five-year-old, who was trapped, tortured and murdered by Israel with 355 bullets inside her family car, Oliver Laxe’s Sirat is also amongst our picks. This hauntingly beautiful and disturbing allegory of life on the edge shatters European whims into pieces, while also remaining deeply respectful to Islam. Finally, we recommend Yanis Koussim’s Roqia. The Algerian filmmaker creates an eerie, uncomfortable atmosphere within a country that has seen more than its fair share of horrors.
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Below is the full list of winners, as selected by the jury headed by multi-Oscar winner Sean Baker. Just click on the film title in order to accede to each individual review (where available):
Golden Yusr Best Feature Film
Lost Land by Akio Fujimoto *
Silver Yusr Feature Film
All That’s Left of You (Cherien Dabis; pictured at the top of thia article)
Yusr Jury Prize
Hijra (Shahad Ameen; pictured above)
Yusr Best Director
Yusr Best Screenplay
Cyril Aris and Bane Fakih for A Sad And Beautiful World (Cyril Aris)
Yusr Best Actor
George Khabbaz for Yunan (Ameer Fakher Eldin)
Yusr Best Actress
Seo Su-Bin for The World Of Love (Yoon Ga-eun)
Asharq Best Documentary
In-I In Motion (Juliette Binoche)
Yusr Cinematic Achievement
Nighttime Sounds (Zhang Zhongchen)
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* Tragically, we missed the screening of the top-winning film Lost Land. That was due to a massive rainstorm (complete with thunders et al) on December 9th, which ground Jeddah and the Film Festival to a halt. Precipitation is an event that only takes place once or twice a year in the desert city.
Click here in order to see our full coverage of the 5th Red Sea International Film Festival.
