01.
Red Sea: Competition
The competition focusses on original, daring fiction, documentary or animated productions by emerging and established voices, which fit the overarching theme of the festival. These outstanding features from around the world, compete for the Golden Yusr Award, as well as prizes for directing, screenwriting, acting and other categories. A jury of world-renowned filmmakers and film professionals will award cinematic work that pushes traditions, recognizing innovative filmmaking and great storytelling.
02.
Red Sea: Short Film Competition
The pulse of Arab creativity presented in a carefully curated selection of short films produced or directed by the most exciting contemporary voices, all vying for a prize juried by their peers in this region-leading competition. Open to student directors, first-time filmmakers, and artists of any discipline from the Arab world, the works offer fresh takes and new ideas that tell compelling diverse and innovative stories in the short film form. It's where to discover something new and to connect with next-generation creators.
03.
Red Sea: International Spectacular
This is the home for international filmmaking icons and established voices making story-driven and entertaining films with a focus on craft and sensation. The curated collection of independent and studio productions is packed with Middle East premieres and award-winning films. Audiences will encounter trailblazers, adventurers, heroines – the characters who have lived a life less ordinary, inspiring us to do the same.
04.
Red Sea: Arab Spectacular
This is the home for Arab filmmaking icons and established voices making story-driven and entertaining films with a focus on characters, craft that give focus to the Arab experience. The curated collection of studio and independent productions is a showcase of Middle East premieres and award-winners. This is a celebration of the films and personalities at the heart of Arab cinema. Audiences will encounter trailblazers, adventurers, heroines – the characters who have lived a life less ordinary, inspiring us to do the same.
05.
Red Sea: Festival Favourites
An expansive roundup of the year’s international festival hits – audience winners and critics' favorites, screening alongside a selection of experiential and escapist cinema chosen by the Red Sea International Film Festival team. Explore this panorama of films, fresh from the international circuit and racing for awards. Discover and find your next favorite – before they hit the cinemas.
06.
New Saudi/New Cinema
Introducing world premieres of Saudi Feature and Documentary filmmakers and artists at the apex of an energetic new wave of cinema. The showcase envisions a robust future for the national film industry. Diverse and dynamic, engaging audience and filmmakers, the program is an exciting look at the voices shaping the local scene.
07.
Tajreeb
A punk program celebrating dynamic, extroverted, and impressionistic works that capture the zeitgeist and instigate change – these films showcase the dynamism, creativity and originality of emerging Saudi filmmakers. Tajreeb is the hot-line to exciting audio-visual creators with imagination. It doesn’t matter where the work has screened, where it lived before or how it came to find us – what matters is that rare inimitable vibe.
08.
Red Sea: Treasures
Framing the art of cinema in an exciting new context that will enhance knowledge, this proud, spirited focus on movie classics, seminal classics and retrospectives on iconic personalities includes acclaimed titles from the Arab canon and unmissable world gems. See the masterpieces that have inspired generations of directors – many screened on the big-screen for the first time in Saudi Arabia.
09.
Red Sea: Next Generation
Enchanting stories for younger audiences with a big appetite for film with a selection of films that will delight our future generation of filmmakers. Next Generation also features a program of activities and events taking the fun beyond the cinema to engage young audiences in the wonderful world of cinema.
10.
Red Sea: Immersive Future
Digital experiments will transform the urban environment and transport audiences like never before. Encounter site-specific installations at the vanguard of cinematic innovation, existing somewhere between film and contemporary art. Commissions by dynamic digital artists will embrace Jeddah Old Town in a wholly unique program shaped by new takes on narrative form and technology.
11.
Red Sea: Episodic
This is the home for international filmmaking icons and established voices making story-driven and entertaining films with a focus on craft and pace. The curated collection of independent and studio productions is brimful of Middle-East premieres, award-winners and festival favourites. Audiences will encounter trailblazers, adventurers, heroines – the characters who have lived a life less ordinary, inspiring us to do the same.