Red Sea Film Festival Foundation
| Formation | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit cultural organization |
| Purpose | Cultural |
Chairwoman | Jomana Al Rashid |
President | Mohammed Al Turki |
The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation (Arabic: مؤسسة مهرجان البحر الأحمر السينمائي) is a non-profit cultural organization registered in Saudi Arabia.[1][2] The foundation is chaired by Jomana Al Rashid while the president of the foundation is the Saudi producer Mohammed Al Turki.[2][3]
History
The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation was founded by Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud, the Saudi Minister of Culture.[4]
Responsibilities
The main responsibility of the foundation is organizing the Red Sea International Film Festival, an annual film festival launched in 2019 and held in Jeddah, western Saudi Arabia, originally schedule to start in 2020, but then delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] The inaugural film festival was held on Dec 6–15, 2021.[6] The foundation is also in charge of supporting the local film industry and national storytellers by providing education and grants.[2] Additionally, the foundation has helped finance international productions such as the 2023 French film Jeanne du Barry and the 2024 Italian film Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness.[7][4]
Red Sea Labs
The foundation runs the Red Sea Labs which provide supports for filmmakers through training, mentorship and grants? with an emphasis on projects with origins in the Middle East and North Africa, Asia, and other parts of Africa.
As of 2025, the Labs’ programs include a directors lab, a series lab and the feature films program, which was originally known as the Lodge.[8]
In collaboration with TorinoFilmLab, the feature films program has selected some filmmakers and provides them with training and development through all stages of filmmaking. The outcomes of the training and development processes are then presented during the Red Sea International Film Festival, where work was honored with a variety of cash grants.[9]
References
- ^ "By 2020, Jeddah Is Planning To Host the First-Ever International Red Sea Film Festival". About Her. 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
- ^ a b c "Jomana R.Alrashid named chairwoman of Red Sea film foundation". MIME news. UAE. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie. "Saudis Red Sea Film Festival". Screen. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
- ^ a b Ritman, Alex. "Why Johnny Depp and Saudi Arabia Are New BFFs". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ "Red Sea International Film Festival: Saudi Arabia announces new Jeddah event". The National. UAE. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
- ^ Lodderhose, Diana (2021-12-06). "Red Sea International Film Festival Day 1: What's It Like Traveling To Saudi Arabia's First Ever Film Festival?". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (September 1, 2023). "Johnny Depp's 'Modi', Michael Mann's 'Ferrari' Secure Saudi Red Sea Film Foundation Investment". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ Sheded, Mona. "In focus: The 12 projects in the Red Sea Souk's Feature Films Program". Screen. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
- ^ "Introduction to the Red Sea Lodge". Red Sea International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2019-07-07.