‘Brighton 4th’ Wins Best Film At Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival

Levan Koguashvili’s Brighton 4^th has scooped up the Best Film prize at Saudi Arabia’s inaugural Red Sea Film Festival. The title is Georgia’s entry in the Academy Awards international feature category this year.

Elsewhere in the festival’s Yusr Awards, Hamzah K. Jamjoom’s title Rupture was the winner for Best Saudi Film while Egyptian title You Resemble Me from director Dina Amer won the Audience Award.

Meanwhile, the jury prize was awarded to Iranian helmer Panah Panahi’s family road trip effort Hit The Road, which also won the Red Sea’s best cinematic contribution award. That title premiered in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight earlier this year. Murad Abu Eisheh’s Tala’Vision nabbed the Best Short award while Haider Rashid won Best Director for his title Europa.

The festival’s selection included 16 features, 18 short films and 21 virtual reality experiences in a celebration of innovative films from established and emerging filmmakers from the Arab world and Africa.

This year’s jury included Italian director and writer Guiseppe Tornatore, who was President of the Red Sea Features competition, Tunisian actress Hend Sabry, Palestinian-American multi-hypenate Cherien Dabis, Mexican festival director and founder of the Morelia International Film Festival Daniela Michel and Saudi film director Abdulaziz Alshlahei.

The Red Sea Shorts Competition Jury was headed by Egyptian director Marwan Hamed and joined by Saudi Arabian actress and director Ahd Kamel and Finnish-Somali director and writer Khadar Ayderus.

“The nominees showcased an incredible range of talent across a diverse and fascinating breadth of themes,” said Tornatore. “This has been an extraordinary experience. We have been moved, provoked and inspired by these films and it has demonstrated the exceptional filmmaking talent and compelling stories from the Arab world, Africa and Asia. The quality of the nominated films made many of our decisions very difficult.”

Here’s the full list of winners:

Best Saudi Film: Rupture by Hamzah K. Jamjoom – Saudi Arabia

Audience Award: You Resemble Me by Dina Amer – Egypt, France, USA

Red Sea: Immersive Silver Yusr: Samsara by Hsin-Chien Huang – Taiwan

Red Sea: Immersive Gold Yusr: End Of Night by David Adler – Denmark, France

Red Sea: Short Competition Golden Yusr: Tala’vision  by Murad Abu Eisheh – Jordan, Germany

Red Sea: Competition Special Mention: Farha by Darin J. Sallam – Jordan

Red Sea: Competition Best Cinematic Contribution: Amin Jafari for Hit The Road – Iran

Red Sea: Competition Best Screenplay: Neighbours by Mano Khalil – Syria, Switzerland

Red Sea: Competition Best Actor: Adam Ali for his role in Europa – Iraq, Italy, Kuwait

Red Sea: Competition Best Actress: Arawinda Kirana for her role in: Yuni – Indonesia, Singapore, France, Australia

Red Sea: Competition Best Director: Europa by Haider Rashid – Iraq, Italy, Kuwait

Red Sea: Competition Jury Prize: Hit The Road by Panah Panahi – Iran

Red Sea: Competition Best Film: Brighton 4^th by Levan Koguashvili – Georgia, Russia, Bulgaria, USA, Monaco.