Oliver Stone To Lead Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Festival Jury

Variety.com: Oliver Stone will preside over the main jury of Saudi Arabia’s nascent Red Sea International Film Festival, which has unveiled its inaugural lineup.

The fest will feature the Middle East premiere of Harvey Weinstein-inspired workplace abuse drama “The Assistant” amid a fresh mix of feature films and docs from Europe, the U.S., Asia and Africa launching in the region on top of a robust representation of Arab films.

Significantly, the opener will be “The Book of Sun” by debuting Saudi directorial duo Faris and Suhaib Godus, about a teenager named Husam who, prompted by the growing phenomenon of Saudi YouTube content, embarks with a group of geeks on a mission to make a no-budget horror pic. Production of this film was supported by the fest.

Red Sea festival chief Mahmoud Sabbagh in a statement called the film “a testament to the passionate community of pioneering filmmakers who have inspired and drive Saudi cinema culture.” Sabbagh is himself a filmmaker known for the groundbreaking comedies “Barakah Meets Barakah” and “Amra and the Second Marriage.” 

The ambitious event is Saudi’s first full-fledged film festival and market, with international ambitions after the country in late 2017 removed its religion-related ban on cinemas. It will run March 12-21 in the historic district of Jeddah, a Unesco World Heritage site.