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Saudi Arabia's Red Sea International Film Festival (RedSeaIFF), which will stage its inaugural edition from December 6-15, has announced the jury members for its Red Sea: Features and the Red Sea: Shorts competitions.
Academy Award-winning Italian director and writer Giuseppe Tornatore will preside over the Festival’s five-strong Red Sea: Features competition jury. Joining him will be Egyptian-based, Tunisian actress Hend Sabry; Palestinian-American director, writer, actress, and producer Cherien Dabis; Founding Director of Mexico's Morelia International Film Festival Daniela Michel and Saudi film director Abdulaziz Alshlahei.
Giuseppe Tornatore, President of the Red Sea: Features competition Jury, said: “It is a uniquely special honour to be asked to preside over the jury of any festival’s first edition, let alone the first international film festival to ever take place in a country. There is such a strong selection of films competing in the Red Sea: Features Competition, that are representative of the very best cinema coming from the Arab world, Asia and Africa. I am sure that we will see some truly pioneering and innovative films that will undoubtedly shape the future of international cinema.”
The Red Sea: Shorts competition jury will be led by Egyptian director Marwan Hamed who will be joined on this jury by Saudi Arabian actress and director Ahd Kamel and Finnish-Somali director and writer Khadar Ayderus.
Edouard Waintrop, Artistic Director of the RedSeaIFF, said: “We are thrilled to announce the remarkable juries of our inaugural edition. Both juries are representative of the diversity of experience that we wish to emulate at the Festival, as well being such highly accomplished collectives of directors, writers, actors and producers. I looking forward to seeing how the juries work together in honouring some of the truly ground-breaking slate of work in competition.”
Photo of Giuseppe Tornatore by Stefano Schirato ©2021
