The first Saudi Arabian film ever selected for Cannes, the tender rural drama “Norah” is writer-director Tawfik Alzaidi’s first feature film. The story of a schoolteacher tasked with introducing literacy to an isolated village and his unlikely relationship with a precocious young girl, the movie suffers from a few early-career filmmaking tics, which prevent all its pieces from all neatly fitting together. However, it’s also underscored by the kind of optimism and poetry about art that one often finds in novice works from directors destined to make more polished and accomplished films (if perhaps more cynical ones). Alzaidi has that potential in spades, as “Norah” is a self-reflexive testament to the deep and profound need for artistic expression.
Set in 1996, years before cinema and other art forms were reintroduced to the Saudi mainstream, the film follows orphaned teenager Norah (Maria Bahrawi), who lives with her aunt’s family...
Set in 1996, years before cinema and other art forms were reintroduced to the Saudi mainstream, the film follows orphaned teenager Norah (Maria Bahrawi), who lives with her aunt’s family...
- 5/27/2024
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Variety Film + TV
The 2024 Cannes Film Festival was officially closed yesterday, on May 25, 2024, as the prizes for the movies and the actors were awarded at the closing ceremony. It was a very exciting and content-filled event, and we have also reported on numerous movies that had their premiere at Cannes, some of which were received well, while others… not so much. But, naturally, everyone wants to know who won and who lost at Cannes, and that is what we are going to report about in this article.
The article will be divided into two main sections. The first one will list all the juries at Cannes, since they are the ones who chose the winners at the film festival, so we think that it is only fair that you know who picked the winners. After that, we are going to list all the winners in each of the categories.
As we have said,...
The article will be divided into two main sections. The first one will list all the juries at Cannes, since they are the ones who chose the winners at the film festival, so we think that it is only fair that you know who picked the winners. After that, we are going to list all the winners in each of the categories.
As we have said,...
- 5/26/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
The 77th Cannes Film Festival has come to a close. As with every year, the festival was host to its share of standing ovations, divisive screenings and debates over just which films and performances would take home awards at the end of the 12-day event, widely considered the most prestigious in the entire world. This year, Sean Baker’s Anora took the Palme d’Or while India’s All We Imagine as Light won the Grand Prix, generally considered the runner-up.
So, who else won out at this year’s Cannes Film Festival? While below is only a partial list of winners, you can check out the complete and extensive list here.
Palme d’Or: Anora, Sean Baker
Grand Prix: All We Imagine as Light, Payal Kapadia
Best Director: Miguel Gomes, Grand Tour
Best Actor: Jesse Plemons, Kinds of Kindness
Best Actress: Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Zoe Saldaña,...
So, who else won out at this year’s Cannes Film Festival? While below is only a partial list of winners, you can check out the complete and extensive list here.
Palme d’Or: Anora, Sean Baker
Grand Prix: All We Imagine as Light, Payal Kapadia
Best Director: Miguel Gomes, Grand Tour
Best Actor: Jesse Plemons, Kinds of Kindness
Best Actress: Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Zoe Saldaña,...
- 5/25/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Chinese director Hu Guan’s drama Black Dog snagged the top prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar on Friday night.
The drama, set on the edge of the Gobi desert in Northwest China, follows a man who returns home after a stint in jail and gets a job clearing a town of stray dogs before the Olympic Games. But he forms an unexpected bond with a black dog, and together, they embark on a new journey.
The film’s canine star won a pooch prize earlier in the day, scooping up the Grand Jury award at the Palm Dog.
For Un Certain Regard, the Jury Prize went to The Story Of Souleymane, Boris Lojkine’s Paris-set story of an African immigrant struggling to make a living and get legalized in the city of lights. Lead Abou Sangare also clinched one of the Un Certain Regard performance awards. The other...
The drama, set on the edge of the Gobi desert in Northwest China, follows a man who returns home after a stint in jail and gets a job clearing a town of stray dogs before the Olympic Games. But he forms an unexpected bond with a black dog, and together, they embark on a new journey.
The film’s canine star won a pooch prize earlier in the day, scooping up the Grand Jury award at the Palm Dog.
For Un Certain Regard, the Jury Prize went to The Story Of Souleymane, Boris Lojkine’s Paris-set story of an African immigrant struggling to make a living and get legalized in the city of lights. Lead Abou Sangare also clinched one of the Un Certain Regard performance awards. The other...
- 5/24/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chinese director Hu Guan’s drama Black Dog won the top prize in Cannes Un Certain Regard on Friday evening.
The Jury Prize went to Boris Lojkine’s Paris-set asylum-seeker tale The Story Of Souleymane.
Best Director went to in ex aequo to Roberto Minervini for U.S. civil war drama The Damned and Rungano Nyoni for On Becoming a Guinea Fowl.
The Performance award went to Anasuya Sengupta for her performance as a young sex worker on the run in Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov’s India-set drama The Shameless, and Abou Sangare for his performance in Boris Lojkine’s The Story Of Souleymane as a young asylum seeker.
In other prizes, French director Louise Courvoisier won the Youth Prize for Holy Cow, while Saudi director Tawfik Alzaidi was feted with a Special Mention for Nora.
This year’s jury was presided over by Canadian actor, director, screenwriter and producer Xavier Dolan,...
The Jury Prize went to Boris Lojkine’s Paris-set asylum-seeker tale The Story Of Souleymane.
Best Director went to in ex aequo to Roberto Minervini for U.S. civil war drama The Damned and Rungano Nyoni for On Becoming a Guinea Fowl.
The Performance award went to Anasuya Sengupta for her performance as a young sex worker on the run in Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov’s India-set drama The Shameless, and Abou Sangare for his performance in Boris Lojkine’s The Story Of Souleymane as a young asylum seeker.
In other prizes, French director Louise Courvoisier won the Youth Prize for Holy Cow, while Saudi director Tawfik Alzaidi was feted with a Special Mention for Nora.
This year’s jury was presided over by Canadian actor, director, screenwriter and producer Xavier Dolan,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Exactly ten years after the genre-mixing, canine-driven Hungarian thriller “White God” landed the Prix Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival, this year’s ceremony culminated in the same prize going to a somewhat corresponding title: Chinese director Guan Hu’s “Black Dog,” a fusion of western, film noir and offbeat comedy with a highly lovable mutt at its center. The film, about a damaged loner returning to his desert hometown after a spell in prison and finding a kindred spirit in an equally world-weary greyhound, beat 17 other titles to take the top prize in the festival’s second-most prestigious competitive section. (The festival’s Official Competition awards will be handed out tomorrow night.)
Jury president Xavier Dolan, the actor-auteur behind such films as “Mommy” and “Laurence Anyways,” commended Guan’s film for “its breathtaking poetry, its imagination, its precision [and] its masterful direction.” He echoed the enthusiasm of Variety critic Jessica Kiang,...
Jury president Xavier Dolan, the actor-auteur behind such films as “Mommy” and “Laurence Anyways,” commended Guan’s film for “its breathtaking poetry, its imagination, its precision [and] its masterful direction.” He echoed the enthusiasm of Variety critic Jessica Kiang,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Self-taught Saudi director Tawfik Alzaidi posted a Tweet in 2011 predicting that cinemas would re-open in his country in 2018 after a 35-year ban.
It got zero traction.
“I was sitting in Starbucks, feeling frustrated and fired it off,” he recounts. “No-one replied or retweeted it.”
In late 2017, he would log on to discover the post had gone viral with people hailing him as a fortune teller, following the Saudi government’s announcement of the lifting of the cinema ban as part of a wider opening-up of the country under its 2030 plan aimed at moving the economy away from a reliance on oil.
Seven years later, Alzaidi is making history as his debut feature Norah world premieres in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard as the first Saudi movie to make it into Official Selection across its 77 editions.
Set in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s, when all artistic expression was banned,...
It got zero traction.
“I was sitting in Starbucks, feeling frustrated and fired it off,” he recounts. “No-one replied or retweeted it.”
In late 2017, he would log on to discover the post had gone viral with people hailing him as a fortune teller, following the Saudi government’s announcement of the lifting of the cinema ban as part of a wider opening-up of the country under its 2030 plan aimed at moving the economy away from a reliance on oil.
Seven years later, Alzaidi is making history as his debut feature Norah world premieres in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard as the first Saudi movie to make it into Official Selection across its 77 editions.
Set in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s, when all artistic expression was banned,...
- 5/22/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
When asked to name her organization’s biggest accomplishment so far, Charlene Deleon-Jones, the executive director for Film AlUla, doesn’t hesitate to name-check Norah, the first Saudi film to crack the Cannes lineup. The Tawfik Alzaidi-helmed indie movie, which will compete in the fest’s Un Certain Regard section, was shot in AlUla, the country’s 200,000-year-old “living museum” and first Unesco World Heritage Site, with a crew that was 40 percent Saudi and includes an all-Saudi cast. The latter includes teenager Maria Bahrawi in her debut role as the titular Norah, an orphaned girl who develops a nurturing bond with Nader, an artist and new teacher in her village, played by Saudi actor Yagoub Alfarhan. “That they were able to get to this stage is really impressive,” Deleon-Jones says. “Often, people can be very focused on what is seen as their ‘international piece,’ but what I love is how beautiful Norah is,...
- 5/19/2024
- by Becky Lucas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Paris-based Nour Films has acquired French rights to Saudi director Tawfik Alzaidi’s first feature Norah ahead of its world premiere in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard.
The film will make history as the first ever Saudi feature to play in Cannes’ Official Selection just six years after Saudi Arabia announced the end of its 35-year cinema ban.
“Norah is an elegant film that combines age-old traditions with a desire for emancipation. This emancipation is achieved through art, learning and a desire greater than oneself. Tawfik Akzaidi has beautifully crafted a film that is both powerful and delicate,” said Nour Films’s co-founding director Patrick Sibourd.
The deal was brokered by Sebastien Chesneau under his Cercamon banner which clinched the international sales mandate for the film last week.
Cercamon and Nour previously collaborated on Vietnamese drama Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell which premiered in Directors’ Fortnight...
The film will make history as the first ever Saudi feature to play in Cannes’ Official Selection just six years after Saudi Arabia announced the end of its 35-year cinema ban.
“Norah is an elegant film that combines age-old traditions with a desire for emancipation. This emancipation is achieved through art, learning and a desire greater than oneself. Tawfik Akzaidi has beautifully crafted a film that is both powerful and delicate,” said Nour Films’s co-founding director Patrick Sibourd.
The deal was brokered by Sebastien Chesneau under his Cercamon banner which clinched the international sales mandate for the film last week.
Cercamon and Nour previously collaborated on Vietnamese drama Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell which premiered in Directors’ Fortnight...
- 5/13/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Cercamon has acquired international sales rights for Saudi director Tawfik Alzaidi’s first feature Norah ahead of its world premiere in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard.
Norah will make history in May as the first ever Saudi feature to play in Cannes’ Official Selection. The achievement comes six years after Saudi Arabia announced the end of its 35-year cinema ban and is a sign of the bubbling cinema scene that has sprung up since.
Set in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s when artistic expression was banned, the feature follows rookie teacher and clandestine artist Nader, who is sent to a remote village for his first post where he connects with a young woman, whose life has been stifled by the era of conservatism.
She ignites the creativity inside him and inspires him to paint again. At great risk, they develop a delicate connection and a quiet bond.
Norah will make history in May as the first ever Saudi feature to play in Cannes’ Official Selection. The achievement comes six years after Saudi Arabia announced the end of its 35-year cinema ban and is a sign of the bubbling cinema scene that has sprung up since.
Set in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s when artistic expression was banned, the feature follows rookie teacher and clandestine artist Nader, who is sent to a remote village for his first post where he connects with a young woman, whose life has been stifled by the era of conservatism.
She ignites the creativity inside him and inspires him to paint again. At great risk, they develop a delicate connection and a quiet bond.
- 5/3/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Saudi director and producer Osama Alkhurayji’s debut feature film “Siwar” recently wrapped principal photography in AlUla, the swathe of northwest Saudi Arabia comprising ancient artifacts, a lush oasis and sandstone canyons that’s becoming a burgeoning local film production hub.
“Siwar” involves two families – one Turkish, the other Saudi – whose fates become entangled due to a revelation about their newborns. In the film, AlUla stands in for Najran, the city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the Yemen border. The drama delves into the dynamics of how the lives of Yaner, a Turkish father played by Serkan Genç (“The Game-Hiyleger Axmaqlar”), and Hamad, a Saudi father played by Fhaid Bin Mohammed, intersect after their sons are swapped at birth.
“Siwar” is the latest Saudi film to shoot in AlUla, following Netflix drama “The Matchmaker” and Saudi auteur Tawfik Alzaidi’s debut feature “Norah” that – after premiering locally in December at...
“Siwar” involves two families – one Turkish, the other Saudi – whose fates become entangled due to a revelation about their newborns. In the film, AlUla stands in for Najran, the city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the Yemen border. The drama delves into the dynamics of how the lives of Yaner, a Turkish father played by Serkan Genç (“The Game-Hiyleger Axmaqlar”), and Hamad, a Saudi father played by Fhaid Bin Mohammed, intersect after their sons are swapped at birth.
“Siwar” is the latest Saudi film to shoot in AlUla, following Netflix drama “The Matchmaker” and Saudi auteur Tawfik Alzaidi’s debut feature “Norah” that – after premiering locally in December at...
- 4/23/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Among the high-profile filmmakers selected for this year’s Cannes Film Festival is a wave of upcoming talent from Asia and the Middle East, including the first Indian feature chosen for Competition in 30 years and the first film from Saudi Arabia to ever make the Official Selection.
While Cannes has a reputation for bringing back familiar names year after year, the line-up for the 77th edition does feature several rising filmmakers and not just in the “discovery” strands of the selection.
Making her first appearance in Competition is Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia with All We Imagine As Light. It marks...
While Cannes has a reputation for bringing back familiar names year after year, the line-up for the 77th edition does feature several rising filmmakers and not just in the “discovery” strands of the selection.
Making her first appearance in Competition is Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia with All We Imagine As Light. It marks...
- 4/12/2024
- ScreenDaily
Good afternoon Insiders, thanks for always sticking with us. Max Goldbart here talking you through a packed week in the global entertainment world. Read on, and sign up here.
Bonjour Cannes Film Fest
Here they come: Cannes head Thierry Frémaux delivered a strong selection of titles Wednesday that will make up the festival’s 77th edition, running May 14 to 25, as the eagerly-awaited Cannes presser took place and Deadline kept you well informed. One of them we already knew – Francis Ford Coppola’s much-discussed epic Megalopolis, which Mike Fleming revealed earlier this week. Other filmmakers set for competition slots include Ali Abbasi, who brings The Apprentice, a feature pic about the early life of Donald Trump. Andrea Arnold returns with Bird, starring Barry Keoghan, and Jacques Audiard’s latest, Emilia Perez, a musical with Selena Gomez will also debut on the Croisette. Elsewhere, Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino returns with Parthenope. Poor Things...
Bonjour Cannes Film Fest
Here they come: Cannes head Thierry Frémaux delivered a strong selection of titles Wednesday that will make up the festival’s 77th edition, running May 14 to 25, as the eagerly-awaited Cannes presser took place and Deadline kept you well informed. One of them we already knew – Francis Ford Coppola’s much-discussed epic Megalopolis, which Mike Fleming revealed earlier this week. Other filmmakers set for competition slots include Ali Abbasi, who brings The Apprentice, a feature pic about the early life of Donald Trump. Andrea Arnold returns with Bird, starring Barry Keoghan, and Jacques Audiard’s latest, Emilia Perez, a musical with Selena Gomez will also debut on the Croisette. Elsewhere, Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino returns with Parthenope. Poor Things...
- 4/12/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Cannes announced the official selection for this year, and the Asian representation is quite strong. India finds its way back to the main competition after 30 years, with “All We Imagine as Light” while Jia Zhangke returns with “Caught By The Tides” . Also of note is the presence of the first Saudi Arabian film in the official selection with “Norah”, which premiered last year in Red Sea. Here are all the entries we know of so far. More info will be added as we get closer to the festival.
All We Imagine as Light by Payal Kapadia (India) Caught by the Tides by Jia Zhang-Ke (China) Norah by Tawfik Alzaidi (Saudi Arabia) Black Dog by Guan Hu (China) My Sunshine by Hiroshi Okuyama (Japan) Santosh by Sandhya Suri (India) Viet and Nam by Truong Minh Quý (Vietnam) She's Got No Name by Peter Chan Ho-Sun Twilight of the Warrior Walled In...
All We Imagine as Light by Payal Kapadia (India) Caught by the Tides by Jia Zhang-Ke (China) Norah by Tawfik Alzaidi (Saudi Arabia) Black Dog by Guan Hu (China) My Sunshine by Hiroshi Okuyama (Japan) Santosh by Sandhya Suri (India) Viet and Nam by Truong Minh Quý (Vietnam) She's Got No Name by Peter Chan Ho-Sun Twilight of the Warrior Walled In...
- 4/11/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
As expected, the Cannes Film Festival line-up is pretty spectacular with new films from Yorgos Lanthimos, Andrea Arnold and David Cronenberg heading to the fest.
As the days are getting longer and there’s a tiny bit more sunshine in between the showers of rain, that can only mean one thing. The Cannes Film Festival is almost upon us.
Of course, us peasants rarely get to go, but it is fun to read the reactions from the glitzy world premieres as the stars gather in the picturesque town of Cannes.
And this year’s festival line-up is a doozy. We already knew George Miller was heading to the Croisette with Furiosa, Francis Ford Coppola is bringing Megalopolis and Kevin Costner will be premiering his new film, too, but there’s a whole heap of great filmmakers heading out to the beach with their films.
The highlights include Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds Of Kindness,...
As the days are getting longer and there’s a tiny bit more sunshine in between the showers of rain, that can only mean one thing. The Cannes Film Festival is almost upon us.
Of course, us peasants rarely get to go, but it is fun to read the reactions from the glitzy world premieres as the stars gather in the picturesque town of Cannes.
And this year’s festival line-up is a doozy. We already knew George Miller was heading to the Croisette with Furiosa, Francis Ford Coppola is bringing Megalopolis and Kevin Costner will be premiering his new film, too, but there’s a whole heap of great filmmakers heading out to the beach with their films.
The highlights include Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds Of Kindness,...
- 4/11/2024
- by Maria Lattila
- Film Stories
Descubre las películas que estarán en Cannes 2024: una lista completa de todas las secciones.
Esta mañana, Thierry Frémaux ha anunciado la programación oficial de la 77ª edición del Festival de Cannes. La pasada edición del festival fue testigo de los estrenos mundiales de las aclamadas películas “Anatomía de una Caída”, “Killers of the Flower Moon” y “The Zone of Interest”. Unas películas que posteriormente fueron nominadas al Oscar a la mejor película, de modo que este año el listón está muy alto.
Desde su primera edición en 1946, el Festival de Cannes se ha consolidado como uno de los acontecimientos cinematográficos más importantes de la industria del cine y la edición de este año ofrece una gran variedad de películas de todo el mundo; desde directores consagrados hasta nuevas voces de la industria. Aunque, por desgracia, España no tendrá representación en el festival este año.
La presidenta del jurado de...
Esta mañana, Thierry Frémaux ha anunciado la programación oficial de la 77ª edición del Festival de Cannes. La pasada edición del festival fue testigo de los estrenos mundiales de las aclamadas películas “Anatomía de una Caída”, “Killers of the Flower Moon” y “The Zone of Interest”. Unas películas que posteriormente fueron nominadas al Oscar a la mejor película, de modo que este año el listón está muy alto.
Desde su primera edición en 1946, el Festival de Cannes se ha consolidado como uno de los acontecimientos cinematográficos más importantes de la industria del cine y la edición de este año ofrece una gran variedad de películas de todo el mundo; desde directores consagrados hasta nuevas voces de la industria. Aunque, por desgracia, España no tendrá representación en el festival este año.
La presidenta del jurado de...
- 4/11/2024
- by Marta Medina
- mundoCine
Saudi Arabia Scores First Cannes Official Selection Slot With Drama ‘Norah,’ Set When Art Was Banned
Saudi Arabia has landed its first film in the Cannes Film Festival official selection with “Norah,” a drama by pioneering director Tawfik Alzaidi set in 1990s Saudi, when conservatism was at its height and all forms of art and painting were banned for religion-related reasons.
“Norah,” which premiered locally in December at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, will be launching internationally from Cannes’ prestigious Un Certain Regard section, marking the first Saudi film to screen in Cannes and becoming a symbol of the kingdom’s rapidly growing moviemaking ambitions since Saudi Arabia lifted its 35-year-old religion-related ban on cinema in 2017.
The film’s titular character, played by Saudi newcomer Maria Bahrawi, is an illiterate orphaned young woman who lives in a remote village where she faces an arranged marriage in which she will be trapped and has a need for self expression. She intersects with an artist named Nader,...
“Norah,” which premiered locally in December at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, will be launching internationally from Cannes’ prestigious Un Certain Regard section, marking the first Saudi film to screen in Cannes and becoming a symbol of the kingdom’s rapidly growing moviemaking ambitions since Saudi Arabia lifted its 35-year-old religion-related ban on cinema in 2017.
The film’s titular character, played by Saudi newcomer Maria Bahrawi, is an illiterate orphaned young woman who lives in a remote village where she faces an arranged marriage in which she will be trapped and has a need for self expression. She intersects with an artist named Nader,...
- 4/11/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The Official Selection for the 77th Cannes Film Festival was revealed Thursday, with 19 movies in Competition (see full lists below).
Familiar names who will launch new works in the Competition include Ali Abbasi, who brings The Apprentice, a feature pic about the early life of Donald Trump. Andrea Arnold returns with Bird, starring Barry Keoghan, and Jacques Audiard’s latest, Emilia Perez, a musical with Selena Gomez will also debut in competition.
Elsewhere, American filmmaker Sean Baker brings Anora to the Croisette. Poor Things filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos will launch Kinds of Kindness, his latest collab with Emma Stone. David Cronenberg returns with The Shrouds, and Paul Schrader will debut Oh Canada starring Jacob Elordi, Uma Thurman and Richard Gere.
Related: ‘The Apprentice’: First Look At Sebastian Stan As Donald Trump & Jeremy Strong As Roy Cohn In Cannes Competition Film
There’s a strong English-language and American presence in the...
Familiar names who will launch new works in the Competition include Ali Abbasi, who brings The Apprentice, a feature pic about the early life of Donald Trump. Andrea Arnold returns with Bird, starring Barry Keoghan, and Jacques Audiard’s latest, Emilia Perez, a musical with Selena Gomez will also debut in competition.
Elsewhere, American filmmaker Sean Baker brings Anora to the Croisette. Poor Things filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos will launch Kinds of Kindness, his latest collab with Emma Stone. David Cronenberg returns with The Shrouds, and Paul Schrader will debut Oh Canada starring Jacob Elordi, Uma Thurman and Richard Gere.
Related: ‘The Apprentice’: First Look At Sebastian Stan As Donald Trump & Jeremy Strong As Roy Cohn In Cannes Competition Film
There’s a strong English-language and American presence in the...
- 4/11/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Ahead of a festival kicking off in just about a month, Iris Knobloch, President of the Festival de Cannes, and Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate, have unveiled the selection of the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival.
Led by the previously announced major highlight, Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, the competition lineup features the latest films from Jia Zhangke, David Cronenberg, Paul Schrader, Andrea Arnold, Sean Baker, Miguel Gomes, Yorgos Lanthimos, Jacques Audiard, Ali Abbasi, Payal Kapadia, and more.
Other sections include the previously new films from George Miller and Kevin Costner, alongside Leos Carax’s personal short C’est Pas Moi, Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson’s Rumors, Alain Guiraudie’s Miséricorde, and more.
Check out the lineup below.
Competition
All We Imagine As Light – Payal Kapadia
L’amour Ouf – Gilles Lellouche
Anora – Sean Baker
The Apprentice – Ali Abbasi
Bird – Andrea Arnold
Caught by the Tides – Jia Zhang-ke...
Led by the previously announced major highlight, Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, the competition lineup features the latest films from Jia Zhangke, David Cronenberg, Paul Schrader, Andrea Arnold, Sean Baker, Miguel Gomes, Yorgos Lanthimos, Jacques Audiard, Ali Abbasi, Payal Kapadia, and more.
Other sections include the previously new films from George Miller and Kevin Costner, alongside Leos Carax’s personal short C’est Pas Moi, Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson’s Rumors, Alain Guiraudie’s Miséricorde, and more.
Check out the lineup below.
Competition
All We Imagine As Light – Payal Kapadia
L’amour Ouf – Gilles Lellouche
Anora – Sean Baker
The Apprentice – Ali Abbasi
Bird – Andrea Arnold
Caught by the Tides – Jia Zhang-ke...
- 4/11/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Ali Abbasi’s Donald Trump drama The Apprentice, Anora, the latest from The Florida Project and Red Rocket director Sean Baker, and Andrea Arnold’s Bird, starring Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski, are among the highlights of this year’s Cannes Film Festival competition.
Abbasi, the Iran-born, Sweden-based director, whose Holy Spider was a sensation of the 2022 Cannes festival, returns with his story of how a young Donald Trump and the notorious lawyer Roy Cohn built up Trump’s real estate business in New York in the 1970s and 1980s. Sebastian Stan stars as Trump, Succession‘s Jeremy Strong plays Cohn and Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) is wife Ivana.
Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things follow-up Kinds of Kindness will also premiere in the Cannes competition. The film, featuring the Oscar-winning Poor Things star Emma Stone, will be high on every Cannes attendee’s must-see list. The Greek auteur has again...
Abbasi, the Iran-born, Sweden-based director, whose Holy Spider was a sensation of the 2022 Cannes festival, returns with his story of how a young Donald Trump and the notorious lawyer Roy Cohn built up Trump’s real estate business in New York in the 1970s and 1980s. Sebastian Stan stars as Trump, Succession‘s Jeremy Strong plays Cohn and Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) is wife Ivana.
Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things follow-up Kinds of Kindness will also premiere in the Cannes competition. The film, featuring the Oscar-winning Poor Things star Emma Stone, will be high on every Cannes attendee’s must-see list. The Greek auteur has again...
- 4/11/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Oscar winner Nicholas Cage received a Red Sea Honouree award
Zarrar Kahn’s Karachi-set thriller In Flames won the $100,000 Golden Yusr award for best feature film at the 2023 Red Sea International Film Festival, which announced its winners on Thursday evening (December 7).
A Canada-Pakistan co-production and Pakistan’s entry to the Oscars, In Flames is the story of a mother and daughter trying to survive after losing the family patriarch. It world premiered in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight.
Indian production Dear Jassi, directed by Tarsem Singh, won the $30,000 Silver Yusr. Based on the true story of an Indian couple who fell foul of the class system,...
Zarrar Kahn’s Karachi-set thriller In Flames won the $100,000 Golden Yusr award for best feature film at the 2023 Red Sea International Film Festival, which announced its winners on Thursday evening (December 7).
A Canada-Pakistan co-production and Pakistan’s entry to the Oscars, In Flames is the story of a mother and daughter trying to survive after losing the family patriarch. It world premiered in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight.
Indian production Dear Jassi, directed by Tarsem Singh, won the $30,000 Silver Yusr. Based on the true story of an Indian couple who fell foul of the class system,...
- 12/8/2023
- by Mona Sheded
- ScreenDaily
At the closing ceremony of the 3rd edition of the Red Sea Film Festival Thursday, which took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in front of an audience that included Hollywood stars Nicolas Cage, Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry, Jason Statham and Adrien Brody, the Golden Yusr for best film and a $100,000 cash prize went to Pakistani-Canadian horror film “In Flames,” directed by Zarrar Kahn.
The director said that the indie movie was shot for “just $300,000 — the size of a Red Sea Fund production grant.” He urged “everyone who gets a grant to go make a movie, because this was made for nothing.”
The Silver Yusr prize for best feature film went to Tarsem Singh for “Dear Jassi.” The film, an India/Canada/U.S. co-production, is based on the true story of a Canadian Punjabi woman who ran afoul of her family’s expectations when she chose to marry a working-class...
The director said that the indie movie was shot for “just $300,000 — the size of a Red Sea Fund production grant.” He urged “everyone who gets a grant to go make a movie, because this was made for nothing.”
The Silver Yusr prize for best feature film went to Tarsem Singh for “Dear Jassi.” The film, an India/Canada/U.S. co-production, is based on the true story of a Canadian Punjabi woman who ran afoul of her family’s expectations when she chose to marry a working-class...
- 12/7/2023
- by Nick Holdsworth
- Variety Film + TV
Zarrar Khan’s In Flames has picked up the Yusr Award for best competition film at the third edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The festival, which attracted such Hollywood stars as Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Chris Hemsworth and Sharon Stone, on Thursday evening unveiled the winners of its Red Sea competition honors, the so-called Yusr awards, as well as other prizes.
Khan’s Pakistani-Canadian horror pic that bowed in Cannes portrays a mother and daughter having to navigate loss, oppression and vulnerability after the death of the family patriarch. The debut feature is rendered as a ghost story as they must find strength in each other if they are to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to engulf them.
The Silver Yusr award for best feature went to Tarsem Singh’s modern day tragic drama Dear Jassi, which bowed in Toronto, where it won the 2023 Platform Prize.
The festival, which attracted such Hollywood stars as Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Chris Hemsworth and Sharon Stone, on Thursday evening unveiled the winners of its Red Sea competition honors, the so-called Yusr awards, as well as other prizes.
Khan’s Pakistani-Canadian horror pic that bowed in Cannes portrays a mother and daughter having to navigate loss, oppression and vulnerability after the death of the family patriarch. The debut feature is rendered as a ghost story as they must find strength in each other if they are to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to engulf them.
The Silver Yusr award for best feature went to Tarsem Singh’s modern day tragic drama Dear Jassi, which bowed in Toronto, where it won the 2023 Platform Prize.
- 12/7/2023
- by Georg Szalai and Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rising Saudi Arabian star Yaqoub Alfarhan, who is known for playing the titular drug trafficker and serial killer in hit Mbc TV series “Rashash,” plays a very different role in the drama “Norah” by pioneering Saudi director Tawfik Alzaidi, which is set in 1990s Saudi Arabia when conservatism was at its height and all forms of art and painting were banned for religion-related reasons.
In “Norah,” which world premiered at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, Alfarhan plays an artist named Nader who has given up painting and moved to a remote village to be a schoolteacher. There he intersects with this film’s titular character, played by Saudi newcomer Maria Bahrawi. “Norah” is an illiterate orphaned young woman who faces an arranged marriage in which she will be trapped and has a need for self expression. Their chaste encounter unleashes in “Norah” a passion for art and, by extension,...
In “Norah,” which world premiered at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, Alfarhan plays an artist named Nader who has given up painting and moved to a remote village to be a schoolteacher. There he intersects with this film’s titular character, played by Saudi newcomer Maria Bahrawi. “Norah” is an illiterate orphaned young woman who faces an arranged marriage in which she will be trapped and has a need for self expression. Their chaste encounter unleashes in “Norah” a passion for art and, by extension,...
- 12/7/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Saudi Arabia Launches First Cinema Guild Six Year After Lifting Of Ban
Saudi Arabia has launched its first official film industry guild six years after the lifting of its 35-year cinema ban in 2017. The initiative overseen by Minister of Culture, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al-Saud, was announced during the Red Sea International Film Festival. “Having a professional association is fundamental for the development of the sector,” inaugural board member and director Hana Al Omair told a conference discussing the objectives of the new body. She said the association’s key role would be to establish legislation for the sector as well as labor rights for cinema professionals. Al Omair was joined in the discussion by the association’s president, the artist and producer Mishal Al Mutairi; veteran acting star Abdulmohsen Al-Nimr; director Tawfik Alzaidi, whose first feature Norah world premiered at the festival on Tuesday evening as well as Alaa Faden,...
Saudi Arabia has launched its first official film industry guild six years after the lifting of its 35-year cinema ban in 2017. The initiative overseen by Minister of Culture, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al-Saud, was announced during the Red Sea International Film Festival. “Having a professional association is fundamental for the development of the sector,” inaugural board member and director Hana Al Omair told a conference discussing the objectives of the new body. She said the association’s key role would be to establish legislation for the sector as well as labor rights for cinema professionals. Al Omair was joined in the discussion by the association’s president, the artist and producer Mishal Al Mutairi; veteran acting star Abdulmohsen Al-Nimr; director Tawfik Alzaidi, whose first feature Norah world premiered at the festival on Tuesday evening as well as Alaa Faden,...
- 12/6/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Front Row Takes Mena Distribution for Saudi Drama ‘Norah’ in Competition at Red Sea Fest (Exclusive)
Dubai-based distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region distribution rights to groundbreaking Saudi drama “Norah,” which world premiered in competition at the Red Sea Film Festival.
Directed by pioneering Saudi director Tawfik Alzaidi, making his feature film debut, “Norah” is set in 1990s Saudi Arabia, when conservatism was at its height and all forms of art and painting were banned for religion-related reasons.
The film’s titular character, played by Saudi newcomer Maria Bahrawi, is an illiterate orphaned young woman who lives in a remote village where she faces an arranged marriage in which she will be trapped and has a need for self expression. She intersects with an artist named Nader, played by Saudi star Yaqoub Alfarhan (“Rashash”), who has given up painting and moved to the village to be a schoolteacher. This chaste encounter unleashes in “Norah” a passion for art and,...
Directed by pioneering Saudi director Tawfik Alzaidi, making his feature film debut, “Norah” is set in 1990s Saudi Arabia, when conservatism was at its height and all forms of art and painting were banned for religion-related reasons.
The film’s titular character, played by Saudi newcomer Maria Bahrawi, is an illiterate orphaned young woman who lives in a remote village where she faces an arranged marriage in which she will be trapped and has a need for self expression. She intersects with an artist named Nader, played by Saudi star Yaqoub Alfarhan (“Rashash”), who has given up painting and moved to the village to be a schoolteacher. This chaste encounter unleashes in “Norah” a passion for art and,...
- 12/6/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
International execs note the quality of projects on offer and growth potential of Saudi industry
A significant number of international executives have beaten a path to the Red Sea International Film Festival’s market over the past week to explore opportunities in the rapidly growing Saudi film market.
The Souk took place for four busy days from December 2-5. All the major Saudi players were on the ground, firming up its reputation as the place to learn about the local industry and to strike up relationships.
Red Sea managing director Shivani Pandya Malhotra said industry accreditation was up by 10% on last year,...
A significant number of international executives have beaten a path to the Red Sea International Film Festival’s market over the past week to explore opportunities in the rapidly growing Saudi film market.
The Souk took place for four busy days from December 2-5. All the major Saudi players were on the ground, firming up its reputation as the place to learn about the local industry and to strike up relationships.
Red Sea managing director Shivani Pandya Malhotra said industry accreditation was up by 10% on last year,...
- 12/6/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Former Universal Pictures executive Paul Chesney has been out and about this past week at the third edition of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival, running November 30 to December 9 in the port city of Jeddah.
The film and TV industry veteran, whose last position was at Universal Pictures as EVP Global Operations out of L.A., is attending in his new role as CEO of Riyadh-based production company Red Palm Pictures and sister acquisition and distribution outfit TwentyOne Entertainment.
Both entities were unveiled on the eve of the festival, with Red Palm Pictures announcing that it was kicking off its production slate with a four-picture deal with Saudi director Tawfik Alzaidi, whose first feature Norah world premieres in Jeddah this evening.
Red Palm Pictures and TwentyOne Entertainment are among a raft of companies being launched in Saudi Arabia as the country’s ambitions to become a major film...
The film and TV industry veteran, whose last position was at Universal Pictures as EVP Global Operations out of L.A., is attending in his new role as CEO of Riyadh-based production company Red Palm Pictures and sister acquisition and distribution outfit TwentyOne Entertainment.
Both entities were unveiled on the eve of the festival, with Red Palm Pictures announcing that it was kicking off its production slate with a four-picture deal with Saudi director Tawfik Alzaidi, whose first feature Norah world premieres in Jeddah this evening.
Red Palm Pictures and TwentyOne Entertainment are among a raft of companies being launched in Saudi Arabia as the country’s ambitions to become a major film...
- 12/5/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Just a few weeks ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, it was unveiled that a new regional distributor and sales operation was launching.
Riyadh-based TwentyOne Entertainment, led by British former Universal and Disney executive Paul Chesney, would be coming to the festival with its first acquisition, Red Sea competition entry Norah, the debut feature from Saudi writer-director Tawfik Alzaidi. The film, set in 1990s Saudi Arabia, also marks the first feature to be shot entirely in the country’s AlUla region.
Hot on the heels of this announcement, Chesney unveiled his new Saudi production operation, Red Palm Pictures, which would work under the same umbrella as TwentyOne. Doubling down on its commitment to Alzaidi, Red Palm launched with a multi-picture deal with the filmmaker and a new project in Thuraya, an action and adventure drama that he’s set to write and direct.
The new...
Riyadh-based TwentyOne Entertainment, led by British former Universal and Disney executive Paul Chesney, would be coming to the festival with its first acquisition, Red Sea competition entry Norah, the debut feature from Saudi writer-director Tawfik Alzaidi. The film, set in 1990s Saudi Arabia, also marks the first feature to be shot entirely in the country’s AlUla region.
Hot on the heels of this announcement, Chesney unveiled his new Saudi production operation, Red Palm Pictures, which would work under the same umbrella as TwentyOne. Doubling down on its commitment to Alzaidi, Red Palm launched with a multi-picture deal with the filmmaker and a new project in Thuraya, an action and adventure drama that he’s set to write and direct.
The new...
- 12/2/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The films are the first two titles in a 10-project deal between Stampede Ventures and Film AlUla.
Kidnap thriller Fourth Wall and romance adaptation Chasing Red have been revealed as the first two projects in a partnership between US outfit Stampede Ventures and Saudi Arabia’s Film AlUla.
It kicks off an agreement secured in October, which will bring 10 productions worth $350m to the region in north-west Saudi Arabia over the next three years. The announcement was made at Red Sea International Film Festival.
Stampede Ventures CEO Greg Silverman is a producer of Fourth Wall alongside Jon Berg. The thriller...
Kidnap thriller Fourth Wall and romance adaptation Chasing Red have been revealed as the first two projects in a partnership between US outfit Stampede Ventures and Saudi Arabia’s Film AlUla.
It kicks off an agreement secured in October, which will bring 10 productions worth $350m to the region in north-west Saudi Arabia over the next three years. The announcement was made at Red Sea International Film Festival.
Stampede Ventures CEO Greg Silverman is a producer of Fourth Wall alongside Jon Berg. The thriller...
- 12/2/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
“Your Story, Your Festival,” is the theme for this year‘s Red Sea International Film Festival, with organizers promising “a unique and powerful platform for celebrating film, connecting cultures and expanding horizons while welcoming stories from all walks of life.”
The festival’s third edition will take place Nov. 30-Dec. 9 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Alongside an international line-up that includes Michael Mann’s Ferrari, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, Ava Duvernay’s Origin and Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron, the Red Sea festival is a showcase for new Arab cinema.
Here’s The Hollywood Reporter‘s pick of six new titles from across the region that expand the image of Arab movies, ranging from a jinn fantasy romance and a coming-of-age drama to an adventure thriller featuring a vengeance-seeking camel.
Hwjn, opening film
A local Saudi Arabian movie will raise the curtain on the Red Sea Festival for the first time this year,...
The festival’s third edition will take place Nov. 30-Dec. 9 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Alongside an international line-up that includes Michael Mann’s Ferrari, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, Ava Duvernay’s Origin and Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron, the Red Sea festival is a showcase for new Arab cinema.
Here’s The Hollywood Reporter‘s pick of six new titles from across the region that expand the image of Arab movies, ranging from a jinn fantasy romance and a coming-of-age drama to an adventure thriller featuring a vengeance-seeking camel.
Hwjn, opening film
A local Saudi Arabian movie will raise the curtain on the Red Sea Festival for the first time this year,...
- 11/29/2023
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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 Saudi’s rapidly growing fest is forging ahead undeterred with its third edition set to run Nov. 30-Dec. 9 in Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore.
In early October, after the war broke out, “we were assessing the situation day by day,” recalls pioneering Saudi producer and philanthropist Mohammed Al Turki, the event’s CEO, who notes that Red Sea organizers at that point reached out to filmmakers in the Middle East and North Africa region for feedback “and they almost had a heart attack when we told them we might not continue.
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 Saudi’s rapidly growing fest is forging ahead undeterred with its third edition set to run Nov. 30-Dec. 9 in Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore.
In early October, after the war broke out, “we were assessing the situation day by day,” recalls pioneering Saudi producer and philanthropist Mohammed Al Turki, the event’s CEO, who notes that Red Sea organizers at that point reached out to filmmakers in the Middle East and North Africa region for feedback “and they almost had a heart attack when we told them we might not continue.
- 11/29/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The fast-rising film industry of Saudi Arabia has a new production company.
Red Palm Pictures will be led by former Universal exec Paul Chesney and focus on developing and producing original film, TV and documentary content for theatrical and streaming releases in the Middle East and North Africa and around the world. The company will be based out of Riyadh and will operate alongside recently launched distribution company TwentyOne Entertainment, also overseen by Chesney. Both new entities will work together under one roof.
Unveiled just days before the opening of the third edition of Saudi’s Red Sea International Film Festival, Red Palm Pictures launches with a multi-picture deal with Saudi writer and Tawfik Alzaidi, who’s debut feature Norah has its world premiere at the festival and has been picked up by TwentyOne Entertainment. The first project from the deal is the action and adventure drama Thuraya, to be written and directed by Alzaidi.
Red Palm Pictures will be led by former Universal exec Paul Chesney and focus on developing and producing original film, TV and documentary content for theatrical and streaming releases in the Middle East and North Africa and around the world. The company will be based out of Riyadh and will operate alongside recently launched distribution company TwentyOne Entertainment, also overseen by Chesney. Both new entities will work together under one roof.
Unveiled just days before the opening of the third edition of Saudi’s Red Sea International Film Festival, Red Palm Pictures launches with a multi-picture deal with Saudi writer and Tawfik Alzaidi, who’s debut feature Norah has its world premiere at the festival and has been picked up by TwentyOne Entertainment. The first project from the deal is the action and adventure drama Thuraya, to be written and directed by Alzaidi.
- 11/27/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Baz Luhrmann will preside over the jury for the third edition of the festival
The Red Sea International Film Festival has revealed a starry line-up of juries and honorary awardees ahead of the launch of its third edition in Jeddah on Thursday.
The jury for the main feature film competition will comprise Suicide Squad star Joel Kinnaman, Bafta-nominated actor Freida Pinto, Egyptian Grand Hotel star Amina Khalil, and Spanish actor Paz Vega, known for Sex And Lucía and The Oa. As previously announced, Elvis director Baz Luhrmann will preside over the jury.
The festival in Saudi Arabia, which is set...
The Red Sea International Film Festival has revealed a starry line-up of juries and honorary awardees ahead of the launch of its third edition in Jeddah on Thursday.
The jury for the main feature film competition will comprise Suicide Squad star Joel Kinnaman, Bafta-nominated actor Freida Pinto, Egyptian Grand Hotel star Amina Khalil, and Spanish actor Paz Vega, known for Sex And Lucía and The Oa. As previously announced, Elvis director Baz Luhrmann will preside over the jury.
The festival in Saudi Arabia, which is set...
- 11/27/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Company is headed by former Universal Pictures exec Paul Chesney
Former Universal Pictures executive Paul Chesney has launched Riyadh-based Red Palm Pictures and has agreed a multi-picture development deal with Saudi writer and director Tawfik Alzaidi whose debut feature Norah world premieres at the Red Sea International Film Festival next week.
The production company will develop and produce original feature film, TV and documentary content for theatrical and streaming in Mena and around the world.
Chesney will head up Red Palm Pictures as CEO, in addition to the recently launched distribution company TwentyOne Entertainment which is releasing Alzaidi’s Norah.
Former Universal Pictures executive Paul Chesney has launched Riyadh-based Red Palm Pictures and has agreed a multi-picture development deal with Saudi writer and director Tawfik Alzaidi whose debut feature Norah world premieres at the Red Sea International Film Festival next week.
The production company will develop and produce original feature film, TV and documentary content for theatrical and streaming in Mena and around the world.
Chesney will head up Red Palm Pictures as CEO, in addition to the recently launched distribution company TwentyOne Entertainment which is releasing Alzaidi’s Norah.
- 11/27/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Company is headed by former Universal Pictures exec Paul Chesney
Former Universal Pictures executive Paul Chesney has launched Riyadh-based Red Palm Pictures and has agreed a multi-picture development deal with Saudi writer and director Tawfik Alzaidi whose debut feature Norah world premieres at the Red Sea International Film Festival next week.
The production company will develop and produce original feature film, TV and documentary content for theatrical and streaming in Mena and around the world.
Chesney will head up Red Palm Pictures as CEO, in addition to the recently launched distribution company TwentyOne Entertainment which is releasing Alzaidi’s Norah.
Former Universal Pictures executive Paul Chesney has launched Riyadh-based Red Palm Pictures and has agreed a multi-picture development deal with Saudi writer and director Tawfik Alzaidi whose debut feature Norah world premieres at the Red Sea International Film Festival next week.
The production company will develop and produce original feature film, TV and documentary content for theatrical and streaming in Mena and around the world.
Chesney will head up Red Palm Pictures as CEO, in addition to the recently launched distribution company TwentyOne Entertainment which is releasing Alzaidi’s Norah.
- 11/27/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Former Universal Pictures executive Paul Chesney has announced the creation of Riyadh-based production company Red Palm Pictures on the eve of Saudi Arabia’s third Red Sea International Film Festival.
Chesney has been appointed CEO of the new, privately-owned production company, which will develop and produce original feature film, TV and documentary content for theatrical and streaming release in Mena and around the world.
The public announcement of the new production banner comes hot on the heels of the launch of sister distribution company TwentyOne Entertainment, which is also headed by Chesney and will run under the same roof.
In a first major content signing, Red Palm Pictures has struck a multi-picture development deal with Saudi writer and director Tawfik Alzaidi.
Alzaidi’s debut feature Norah is due to world premiere in Competition at the upcoming Red Sea Film Festival, running November 30 to December 9, with TwentyOne Entertainment handling international sales.
Chesney has been appointed CEO of the new, privately-owned production company, which will develop and produce original feature film, TV and documentary content for theatrical and streaming release in Mena and around the world.
The public announcement of the new production banner comes hot on the heels of the launch of sister distribution company TwentyOne Entertainment, which is also headed by Chesney and will run under the same roof.
In a first major content signing, Red Palm Pictures has struck a multi-picture development deal with Saudi writer and director Tawfik Alzaidi.
Alzaidi’s debut feature Norah is due to world premiere in Competition at the upcoming Red Sea Film Festival, running November 30 to December 9, with TwentyOne Entertainment handling international sales.
- 11/27/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea Iff) has announced details of this year's selection of films from Saudi Arabia, alongside the Arab Spectacular and Red Sea: Competition features strands. Collectively, these strands will showcase the rich and varied work by established and new filmmakers from the region, including documentaries and titles produced by the Red Sea Film Foundation.
The third edition of the Rsiff – running from 30 November to 9 December – providesa unique and powerful platform for celebrating film, connecting cultures, and expanding horizons while welcoming stories from all walks of life. It is a comprehensive cinematic platform that promotes diversity in all facets of filmmaking, elevating it beyond just a film screening event. These ideas of diversity, connection, and cultural exchange are manifested in this year's theme; “Your Story, Your Festival”.
While celebrating cinema on a global scale, Red Sea Iff throws a spotlight on films made in the...
The third edition of the Rsiff – running from 30 November to 9 December – providesa unique and powerful platform for celebrating film, connecting cultures, and expanding horizons while welcoming stories from all walks of life. It is a comprehensive cinematic platform that promotes diversity in all facets of filmmaking, elevating it beyond just a film screening event. These ideas of diversity, connection, and cultural exchange are manifested in this year's theme; “Your Story, Your Festival”.
While celebrating cinema on a global scale, Red Sea Iff throws a spotlight on films made in the...
- 11/10/2023
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
First acquisition is Red Sea competition title ’Norah’ by Saudi director Tawfik Alzaidi
New Riyadh-based distributor TwentyOne Entertainment is gearing up for launch at the upcoming Red Sea International Film Festival.
The first feature on the TwentyOne Entertainment slate is Norah, from Saudi writer-director Tawfik Alzaidi, which plays in main competition at Red Sea.
Paul Chesney has been named as the CEO of TwentyOne Entertainment, which is owned by a private Saudi investor. Chesney is a former EVP of global operations at Universal Pictures who has also management roles at Disney, Warner Bros. and Arts Alliance Media as well as...
New Riyadh-based distributor TwentyOne Entertainment is gearing up for launch at the upcoming Red Sea International Film Festival.
The first feature on the TwentyOne Entertainment slate is Norah, from Saudi writer-director Tawfik Alzaidi, which plays in main competition at Red Sea.
Paul Chesney has been named as the CEO of TwentyOne Entertainment, which is owned by a private Saudi investor. Chesney is a former EVP of global operations at Universal Pictures who has also management roles at Disney, Warner Bros. and Arts Alliance Media as well as...
- 11/7/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
New Riyadh-based acquisition and distribution company TwentyOne Entertainment has announced its launch at upcoming the Red Sea International Film Festival, which is due to unfold in the port city of in Jeddah from November 30 to December 9.
The fledgeling company has appointed long-time Universal Pictures exec Paul Chesney, whose last position there was EVP Global Operations out of L.A., as its CEO.
On its first outing the company will be focusing on international sales for writer-director Tawfik Alzaidi first feature’s Norah, which was announced as a contender in the festival’s main competition on Monday.
Described as a “deeply moving story about the power of art to inspire and change minds”, the movie is set in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s. Rising actor Yaqoub Alfarhan (Rashash) stars as a newly qualified teacher who is posted to a remote village, where he meets Norah, played by newcomer Maria Bahrawi.
Her...
The fledgeling company has appointed long-time Universal Pictures exec Paul Chesney, whose last position there was EVP Global Operations out of L.A., as its CEO.
On its first outing the company will be focusing on international sales for writer-director Tawfik Alzaidi first feature’s Norah, which was announced as a contender in the festival’s main competition on Monday.
Described as a “deeply moving story about the power of art to inspire and change minds”, the movie is set in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s. Rising actor Yaqoub Alfarhan (Rashash) stars as a newly qualified teacher who is posted to a remote village, where he meets Norah, played by newcomer Maria Bahrawi.
Her...
- 11/7/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
TwentyOne Entertainment, a new acquisition and distribution company based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, unveiled its formation on Tuesday, saying it will make its official debut at the upcoming Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah. The Saudi fest, running Nov. 30-Dec. 9, will feature Norah, the first movie on the company’s slate, in its competition lineup, as unveiled on Monday.
“Our goal is to consistently deliver a high-quality cinematic entertainment experience and be an innovative leader in this fast-developing market,” said TwentyOne Entertainment CEO Paul Chesney, who previously held senior management roles at the likes of Universal and Disney, as well as technology start-ups. “We look forward to building strong partnerships throughout the region and around the
world.”
Norah, from Saudi writer-director Tawfik Alzaidi, is set in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s and is the first Saudi feature film to shoot entirely in the country’s AlUla region. Described as...
“Our goal is to consistently deliver a high-quality cinematic entertainment experience and be an innovative leader in this fast-developing market,” said TwentyOne Entertainment CEO Paul Chesney, who previously held senior management roles at the likes of Universal and Disney, as well as technology start-ups. “We look forward to building strong partnerships throughout the region and around the
world.”
Norah, from Saudi writer-director Tawfik Alzaidi, is set in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s and is the first Saudi feature film to shoot entirely in the country’s AlUla region. Described as...
- 11/7/2023
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival has announced the bulk of its lineup from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), signaling that the event is forging ahead with its third edition despite the Israel-Hamas war that has caused cancellations of several movie celebrations across the Arab world.
The fest’s third edition, set to run Nov. 30-Dec. 9 in Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore, will feature a slew of films from the Mena region and comprise 11 feature films from Saudi, underlining the local film industry’s growth. This year’s theme is “Your Story, Your Festival”.
There are two Saudi films in the 17-title competition dedicated to features from the Arab world as well as Africa and Asia. They are “Norah,” a drama by first-time helmer Tawfik Alzaidi set in 1990s Saudi Arabia, when conservatism was at its height, and Ali Alkalthami’s bold comedy “Mandoob...
The fest’s third edition, set to run Nov. 30-Dec. 9 in Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore, will feature a slew of films from the Mena region and comprise 11 feature films from Saudi, underlining the local film industry’s growth. This year’s theme is “Your Story, Your Festival”.
There are two Saudi films in the 17-title competition dedicated to features from the Arab world as well as Africa and Asia. They are “Norah,” a drama by first-time helmer Tawfik Alzaidi set in 1990s Saudi Arabia, when conservatism was at its height, and Ali Alkalthami’s bold comedy “Mandoob...
- 11/6/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The Red Sea International Film Festival has unveiled its selection of 36 movies from Saudi Arabia, as well as its Arab Spectacular and Red Sea: Competition lineups for this year’s third edition.
“Collectively, these strands will showcase the rich and varied work by established and new filmmakers from the region, including documentaries and titles produced by the Red Sea Film Foundation,” organizers said on Monday.
The program will put a spotlight on films made in the Middle East and North Africa region, featuring 36 feature-length and short films from Saudi Arabia. “The lineup includes internationally recognized talent plus new voices; from Maïwenn’s historical romance Jeanne du Barry, starring Johnny Depp which opened at Cannes with support from the Red Sea International Film Financing arm, to Kaouther Ben Hania with Four Daughters, nominated as Tunisia’s submission for international feature at the forthcoming Academy Awards,” the festival said. “Further directors selected...
“Collectively, these strands will showcase the rich and varied work by established and new filmmakers from the region, including documentaries and titles produced by the Red Sea Film Foundation,” organizers said on Monday.
The program will put a spotlight on films made in the Middle East and North Africa region, featuring 36 feature-length and short films from Saudi Arabia. “The lineup includes internationally recognized talent plus new voices; from Maïwenn’s historical romance Jeanne du Barry, starring Johnny Depp which opened at Cannes with support from the Red Sea International Film Financing arm, to Kaouther Ben Hania with Four Daughters, nominated as Tunisia’s submission for international feature at the forthcoming Academy Awards,” the festival said. “Further directors selected...
- 11/6/2023
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival has unveiled it 2023 line-up and theme as it maintains its third edition against the backdrop of the escalating Israel-Gaza Conflict. (scroll down for full list)
The edition, running from November 30 to December 9 in the port city of Jeddah, will unfold under the theme of “Your Story, Your Festival”.
Among the key sections announced on Monday was the Red Sea International Film Festival: In Competition section which will showcase 17 narrative and documentary features from Asia, Africa, and the Arab world.
Contenders include UK-Palestinian director Farah Nabulsi critically-acclaimed West Bank-set first feature The Teacher, Tunisian-Moroccan filmmaking couple Afef Ben Mahmoud and Khalil Benkirane’s Atlas Mountains-set, theatre troupe road movie Backstage, Tawfik Alzaidi’s Norah, which is billed as the first Saudi feature shot in the country’s growing location hub of AlUla, and Iranian director Parviz Shahbazi’s drama Roxana, for which its...
The edition, running from November 30 to December 9 in the port city of Jeddah, will unfold under the theme of “Your Story, Your Festival”.
Among the key sections announced on Monday was the Red Sea International Film Festival: In Competition section which will showcase 17 narrative and documentary features from Asia, Africa, and the Arab world.
Contenders include UK-Palestinian director Farah Nabulsi critically-acclaimed West Bank-set first feature The Teacher, Tunisian-Moroccan filmmaking couple Afef Ben Mahmoud and Khalil Benkirane’s Atlas Mountains-set, theatre troupe road movie Backstage, Tawfik Alzaidi’s Norah, which is billed as the first Saudi feature shot in the country’s growing location hub of AlUla, and Iranian director Parviz Shahbazi’s drama Roxana, for which its...
- 11/6/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Maïwenn’s Jeanne du Barry, starring Johnny Depp, will have a special screening at the festival
The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea Iff) has unveiled the line-up for its Competition and Arab Spectacular strands.
The festival will take place from November 30-December 9 in the port city of Jeddah under the theme ’Your Stories, Your Festival.’
Red Sea Iff’s line-up throws a spotlight on films made in the Mena region and includes 36 feature length and short films from Saudi Arabia, including documentaries and titles produced by the Red Sea Film Foundation.
The Competition strand includes 17 films from Asia,...
The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea Iff) has unveiled the line-up for its Competition and Arab Spectacular strands.
The festival will take place from November 30-December 9 in the port city of Jeddah under the theme ’Your Stories, Your Festival.’
Red Sea Iff’s line-up throws a spotlight on films made in the Mena region and includes 36 feature length and short films from Saudi Arabia, including documentaries and titles produced by the Red Sea Film Foundation.
The Competition strand includes 17 films from Asia,...
- 11/6/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Maïwenn’s Jeanne du Barry, starring Johnny Depp, will have a special screening at the festival
The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea Iff) has unveiled the line-up for its Competition and Arab Spectacular strands.
The festival, which takes place from November 30-December 9, will also give special screenings to Maïwenn’s historical romance Jeanne du Barry, starring Johnny Depp, which was supported by Red Sea’s financing arm and opened Cannes, and to Dhafer L’abidine’s Saudi-uae co-production To My Son, which world premieres at the festival.
Red Sea Iff’s line-up throws a spotlight on films made in...
The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea Iff) has unveiled the line-up for its Competition and Arab Spectacular strands.
The festival, which takes place from November 30-December 9, will also give special screenings to Maïwenn’s historical romance Jeanne du Barry, starring Johnny Depp, which was supported by Red Sea’s financing arm and opened Cannes, and to Dhafer L’abidine’s Saudi-uae co-production To My Son, which world premieres at the festival.
Red Sea Iff’s line-up throws a spotlight on films made in...
- 11/6/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Fund has unveiled its latest round of feature film grantees from the Arab world and Africa.
The announcement comes just days after the fund revealed it had boarded French director Maïwenn’s upcoming costume drama Jeanne du Barry starring Johnny Depp, in its first European investment as executive producer.
In its latest funding round for Arab and African filmmakers, it is getting behind 36 productions by Saudi, Arab and African filmmakers, 25 in or on the verge of production, 11 in post-production.
The 25 production grant winners include upcoming films by established directors such as Abderrahmane Sissako’s The Perfumed Hill, Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Miss Camel, Annemarie Jacir, Kaouther Ben Hania’s Mime, Cherien Dabis, and Karim Moussaoui’s The Vanishing.
The fund has also gotten behind buzzy, emerging talents such as Saudi Arabian filmmaker Sara Mesfer, who is gearing up for her first solo feature Habibi And I In Eden.
The announcement comes just days after the fund revealed it had boarded French director Maïwenn’s upcoming costume drama Jeanne du Barry starring Johnny Depp, in its first European investment as executive producer.
In its latest funding round for Arab and African filmmakers, it is getting behind 36 productions by Saudi, Arab and African filmmakers, 25 in or on the verge of production, 11 in post-production.
The 25 production grant winners include upcoming films by established directors such as Abderrahmane Sissako’s The Perfumed Hill, Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Miss Camel, Annemarie Jacir, Kaouther Ben Hania’s Mime, Cherien Dabis, and Karim Moussaoui’s The Vanishing.
The fund has also gotten behind buzzy, emerging talents such as Saudi Arabian filmmaker Sara Mesfer, who is gearing up for her first solo feature Habibi And I In Eden.
- 1/18/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Further projects come from Mehdi M. Barsaoui, Ameer Fakher Eldin, Haifaa Al-Mansour and Annemarie Jacir.
The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation has unveiled the 36 recipients of the Red Sea Fund’s 2022 production and post-production funding cycles.
All titles are from Arab and African filmmakers, who will receive grants to help them complete films that shine a light on narratives and new talents emerging from the region.
Two films selected have previously received support at the development stage by the Red Sea Fund. Captain Mbaye from Rwandan filmmaker Joel Karekezi follows a Un observer sent to Rwanda as genocide breaks out.
The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation has unveiled the 36 recipients of the Red Sea Fund’s 2022 production and post-production funding cycles.
All titles are from Arab and African filmmakers, who will receive grants to help them complete films that shine a light on narratives and new talents emerging from the region.
Two films selected have previously received support at the development stage by the Red Sea Fund. Captain Mbaye from Rwandan filmmaker Joel Karekezi follows a Un observer sent to Rwanda as genocide breaks out.
- 1/18/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Saudi director Haifaa Al Mansour’s long-gestating female empowerment feature film “Miss Camel” is among the projects being supported by Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival Foundation. The org has announced the recipients of the Red Sea Fund’s latest round of grants for Saudi, Arab and African films.
Al Mansour made waves in 2013 with “Wadjda,” about a 10-year-old Saudi girl who wants to ride a bicycle even though it is forbidden in her country. She more recently directed English-language biopic “Mary Shelley,” starring Elle Fanning, and the comedy drama “The Perfect Candidate,” which launched from Venice in 2019, about a young female physician who manoeuvres through her male-dominated society to run in municipal elections.
“Miss Camel” is about a Saudi teen who will do anything to escape her arranged marriage and fulfill her goal of attending art school outside of Saudi Arabia, according to a synopsis.
Other well-known directors...
Al Mansour made waves in 2013 with “Wadjda,” about a 10-year-old Saudi girl who wants to ride a bicycle even though it is forbidden in her country. She more recently directed English-language biopic “Mary Shelley,” starring Elle Fanning, and the comedy drama “The Perfect Candidate,” which launched from Venice in 2019, about a young female physician who manoeuvres through her male-dominated society to run in municipal elections.
“Miss Camel” is about a Saudi teen who will do anything to escape her arranged marriage and fulfill her goal of attending art school outside of Saudi Arabia, according to a synopsis.
Other well-known directors...
- 1/18/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Six Saudi talents with new or upcoming projects.
For a country that only reopened cinemas five years ago, Saudi Arabia can certainly boast more than its fair share of film making talents, be it in front or behind the camera. Here we highlight two directors, two actors and two filmmaking sisters with current or upcoming projects.
Aisha Al Rifaie, actress VHS Tape Replaced
This actress first appeared on the big screen in Faiza Ambah’s mother son story Nour Shams. The short film was produced by Oscar-nominated Palestinian filmmaker Basil Khalil and for her touching performance Al Rifaie won a...
For a country that only reopened cinemas five years ago, Saudi Arabia can certainly boast more than its fair share of film making talents, be it in front or behind the camera. Here we highlight two directors, two actors and two filmmaking sisters with current or upcoming projects.
Aisha Al Rifaie, actress VHS Tape Replaced
This actress first appeared on the big screen in Faiza Ambah’s mother son story Nour Shams. The short film was produced by Oscar-nominated Palestinian filmmaker Basil Khalil and for her touching performance Al Rifaie won a...
- 12/6/2022
- by E. Nina Rothe
- ScreenDaily
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.