The fourth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) in Jeddah will once again be the focus of the booming film industry in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and beyond.
This year’s film festival will kick off on December 5, and will screen 15 competition films, popular films from the film festival circuit, etc., as well as films by Karim Shenawi The story of Daye’s familyMichael Gracey’s Robbie Williams biopic, about an 11-year-old albino, will end on December 14 better person. Viola Davis is one of the stars to appear at this year’s festival.
Ahead of its release in 2024, Shivani Pandya Malhotra, Managing Director, Red Sea Film Foundation, THR About the state of the Saudi Arabian film industry, co-productions with other countries, growth opportunities and the role of stars at film festivals.
Where do you think we are in terms of Saudi Arabian film production and its success?
While we support Arab, African and Asian cinema, we are very proud of what is happening in Saudi Arabia. It’s still a very young industry, only five years old. We’ve been supporting it and we’ve seen tremendous progress. You see Saudi films being consumed by local audiences, you see Saudi films resonating at the box office and doing very well commercially.
We had very proud moments where we showed photos e.g. mandobu [Night Courier from director Ali Kalthami] and Sattar [from director Abdullah Al Arak]films that have broken box office records and are actually better than many Hollywood movies released here. So it’s a very proud moment for us.
In addition, we are seeing more and more young creative talents emerging. We run our labs throughout the year – we run a feature program, we also run an independent film program, we just launched a series program, and we also do music and film labs. We are developing young filmmakers from Saudi Arabia and the regions we focus on [Middle East, Africa, and now Asia].
They also form a very strong relationship when they are together, eventually leading to co-productions. So our strategy is actually cooperation. This year’s opening video [The Tale of Daye’s Family by Egyptian filmmaker Karim Shenawi] It is a joint production between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. So for us, it’s great to see that this has happened. Obviously, people are familiar with the Arab world. People are watching content all the time and speaking a similar language, maybe a different dialect. But we’re already seeing different relationships forming, and we hope other regions will start to form those relationships as well.
Shivani Pandya Malhotra, Managing Director, Red Sea International Film Festival
Provided by RSIFF
Last year’s music festival was bustling with celebrities making appearances. What do you think about the importance of celebrities to this event?
It’s a mixture of everything. But yes, talent is very important. The industry is still young, so everyone is playing catch-up. The great thing is that people are actually building movie theaters. The box office has been pretty strong, and the trajectory and projections will continue to grow. So this is going in a completely different direction than the rest of the world. We allow the public and the audience to watch the film and really see all the people they grew up seeing and be able to interact and engage with them. So, for us, this is very important.
It’s also very inspiring for the filmmaking community to be able to have conversations and conversations with these big directors or newcomers. What we get back is that the talent really loves it too because there’s a lot of involvement and they’re just supporting a new generation of filmmakers and this new industry. So I think this works for everyone.
You mentioned co-production and collaboration opportunities. How important are film festivals and their markets to achieving these goals?
We’re seeing more and more production companies and very high-profile people coming in to find out how to work with Saudi Arabia. There are many opportunities in Saudi Arabia’s plans to develop the entertainment and film industries. There are many ways to collaborate. The reason why we think Asia, Africa and the Arab world are important is because especially in the Arab world, 75% of the population is under 30 years old. There are young audiences everywhere.
We’re already seeing platforms like Netflix and Amazon pushing boundaries. People are watching international content. So it’s important that really great content is produced here, elevated, and then transcends borders so that everyone can watch it in different parts of the world. We’re already slowly seeing some of these things happen. A large portion of the world’s population is sitting here, and they will consume more and more content. So we want them to create more and more content.
What would you say to someone who has never been to the Red Sea Film Festival but is considering attending?
If you’re thinking about business, there’s tremendous opportunity here given the theaters that are being built and the trajectory of the box office. Also, this part of the world is consuming a lot of content, so it’s also how you get your content out here and how you take content from this part of the world and bring it to wherever you’re going. Or you could consider collaborations and co-productions. Saudi Arabia itself also offers many incentives to produce here. Many studios were established in the country. And different funds have been set up. Therefore, the business opportunities in Saudi Arabia and the greater region are huge. We’re really trying because we want people to be able to mix. We have the typical panel discussions, booths, and a project market. But beyond that, we have a lot of different networking sessions.
Another element is accessibility. We are a public festival and an industry festival. It’s great for people to come and see what’s going on. We have a lot of filmmakers – talent in the West, but there’s also a huge amount of talent yet to be discovered from our world. So if anyone is looking for a new culture, new opportunities, where the world is going, this is a great space to meet new people, watch and discover some unique content. In the Red Sea, people can discover filmmakers and talent they might not otherwise have [been aware of].
