Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival Kicks Off 3rd Edition With Mix Of A-List Stars & Local Talent
deadline.comSaudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival launched its third edition on Thursday with a characteristically starry red carpet featuring the likes of Michelle Williams, Johnny Depp, Sharon Stone and Will Smith.
The kick-off had more of a local feel than the first two editions, however, with an Arabic-language film, the fantasy adventure HWJN, opening the festival for the first time.
Set against the backdrop of the festival’s home city of Jeddah, the drama stars rising Saudi actor Baraa Alem, as an endearing young djinn who falls for a young woman, played by emerging actress Nour Alkhadra.
Its selection as the opening title is seen as a sign of the growing strength of the film and TV business in Saudi Arabia, just six years after the lifting of the country’s 35-year cinema ban as part of its 2030 strategy aimed at moving the economy away from oil.
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