Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival stands as testimony to the kingdom’s unwavering drive to become a film and TV industry powerhouse amid regional conflicts, political turbulence and societal changes. The Israel-Hamas war caused cancellations of several movie celebrations across the Arab world, including the Cairo Film Festival and Tunisia’s Carthage Film Days. But it’s the Red Sea Film Festival and its offshoots — market component Red Sea Souk and the Red Sea Lodge development program, plus the Red Sea Film Fund — that are taking the lead in fostering a local film culture while playing a fundamental role in Saudi’s concerted effort to build a film and TV industry from scratch. That said, in making the Red Sea selection it’s clear that the region’s sensitivities have to be kept in mind. The Red Sea fund is also among backers of Depp-directed film “Modì,” about Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani that is currently shooting in Budapest, where Saudi film students are now gaining work experience on set.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 29, 2023 12:46 UTC