Baz Luhrmann
President of the jury at the Red Sea Film Festival
© imago images/cover images
Australian director Baz Luhrmann will head the jury at the third Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia.
The still young Red Sea International Film Festival has been taking place in the city of Jeddah on the Red Sea since 2021. For this year’s, only the third edition of the film festival in Saudi Arabia, none other than “Elvis” and “Moulin Rouge” director Baz Luhrmann, 61, has been won as jury president. This is what various US industry magazines report, including “Variety”consistent.
Baz Luhrmann: A “pioneer of pop culture”
The film festival in Jeddah is considered a stage for filmmakers from Saudi Arabia, the Arab world and – in a broader sense – the Global South. This year it takes place from November 30th to December 9th. The competition entries have not yet been determined.
Luhrmann, who will chair the competition jury, said in a statement: “Since the beginning of my career, I have experienced the power of storytelling and festivals to open doors and build bridges between artists and cultures.” Now the two-time Oscar-nominated director, screenwriter and producer is looking forward to “celebrating both emerging talent and the region’s incredible, established auteurs with the vibrant, diverse and distinctive cinematic offering that the Jeddah festival will become known for.”
Festival president and producer Mohammed Al Turki, 37, described Luhrmann in a statement as a “legendary” filmmaker and a “pioneer of pop culture with incredible versatility in all creative areas.”
Last year, the Iraqi entry “Janain mualaqa” (international title: “Hanging Gardens”) by director Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji, 37, triumphed at the Red Sea International Film Festival. The drama was awarded the film festival’s main prize, known as Golden Yusr.