Latest in Red Sea International Film Festival

When Saudi Arabia announced it was opening movie theaters for the first time in 35 years back in late 2017, there was excitement from international exhibitors and Hollywood studios who saw a fertile new market of opportunity. Importantly, 70% of the Kingdom's 34M population is under 30 and has money to spend.  And…

Levan Koguashvili's Brighton 4th 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…

After much speculation, the Saudi Film Commission has announced its film incentive package, offering a 40% cash rebate of total qualifying spend for local and international productions. The announcement comes just before the country's first-ever film festival, the Red Sea International Film Festival, draws to a close…

Afternoon all, it’s nearly Christmas but we’re not slowing down. Here’s Max Goldbart with your weekly dose of international news and analysis from the International Insider. To get this sent to your inbox every Friday, sign up here. Red Sea Roving Reporter Saudi Film Fest underway: Deadline's very own Diana…

Saudi Arabia's nascent film industry is in the spotlight this week thanks to the inaugural edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, which runs until December 15. Few international productions had ventured into the Saudi desert to shoot prior to this year, which saw the first real influx of…

A film festival is about more than just the films and the festival center. It is about the location, the journey, the experience. Here on Deadline we'll be bringing you updates on what it's like to be on the ground at the inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival, Saudi Arabia's first ever film festival.  I'm more…

Saudi Arabian production and finance outfit Telfaz11 is planning to expand its ability to finance film and TV content after securing a multi-million-dollar funding round. Exact amounts were not disclosed. The money comes from a consortium of investors led by Saudi exhibition chain Muvi Cinemas. Also involved are the…

Vox Cinemas, the Middle East's largest exhibition chain, has unveiled an ambitious plan to produce 25 Arabic movies in the next five years. The announcement was made at the inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, where Vox Cinemas is the exclusive cinema partner. Vox Cinemas, which is owned by Emirati…

The glitterati was out in full force in Jeddah on Monday night as the inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival kicked off with the Middle Eastern premiere of Joe Wright's musical romance Cyrano. Stars such as Catherine Deneuve, Saudi helmer Haifaa Al-Mansour, Anthony Mackie, Clive Owen, Hilary Swank, Vincent…

Telfaz11, the Saudi Arabian production and finance company, has struck a deal to acquire Riyadh-based producer Last Scene Films. Founded in 2017 by Mohammed Alhamoud, Last Scene Films has produced the short films Silah and Ertidad, which both travelled to international festivals, while its debut feature Last Visit…

'Squid Game' Director, 'Minari' Actress & BTS On CJ's Visionary Award List South Korea's CJ ENM Entertainment has announced the winners of its 2021 Visionary awards, which recognize the year’s forerunners in the entertainment industry. There are six winners this year, which marks the second edition of the awards. They…

Shahid Kapoor's 'Bull' Sets April 2023 Release Date Producers Bhushan Kumar of T-Series and Amar Butala and Garima Mehta of Guilty By Association have set a Good Friday weekend 2023 release date for their action-flick Bull. Starring Shahid Kapoor (Kabir Singh), the pic marks the directorial debut of Aditya Nimbalkar…