The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF) may only be in its second year, but it’s already attracting top talent from around the world. That is clear in the varied notable talents present in this year’s “In Conversation” series. The series, like the festival, takes place in Jeddah with partnership with VOX Cinemas and the MBC GROUP.
The participants are: Academy Award-winners Spike Lee and Jackie Chan, Academy Award-nominees Andy Garcia and Luca Guadagnino, directors Guy Ritchie, Gurinder Chadha, Andrew Dominik, Fatih Akin, Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah, Kaouther Ben Hania, Michel Ocelot, and Gaspar Noé, actors Akshay Kumar, Nelly Karim, Sharon Stone, and Hrithik Roshan and this year’s Red Sea IFF Variety International Vanguard Award recipients: writer-director-actor Nadine Labaki and multi-award-winning actor Ranbir Kapoor.
Speaking on the series, Mohammed Al Turki, CEO of the Red Sea IFF, said: “Our schedule of In-Conversations taking place at this year’s Festival brings together some of the leading voices in international, Bollywood and Arab cinema, sharing their journeys to the big screen and the wisdom that they have learned along the way. We are thrilled to be able to further share their voices with Saudi audiences, and honour this truly eclectic group with our powerful series of intimate, in-depth conversations.”
Some of the in conversations have already happened, and it seems the top question Westerns were asked, is if they had fears about attending a festival in Saudi Arabia. As of yet, none of claimed to have feared, though some (like Sharon Stone) did say those around them were concerned). Guy Ritchie said on the issue, “Whatever I can do to encourage creativity, particularly in my world of film, I’m all about that. I’m all about encouragement and the collaboration of culture.” Though probably the most burning question he answered was whether he would work with Will Smith again, presumably in reference to the fallout after this year’s Academy Awards, to which he said, “I wouldn’t have any issue casting Will Smith in anything, because, as I say, he was just the fucking perfect gentleman.”
Notably in in Sharon Stone “In Conversation” she said to the seated, mostly Saudi, audience, “Women are not here just to serve men. Men are also here to serve women. And if we are not serving equally, then we are disrespecting our maker.” She was met with applause and followed it up with, “We are here to be of service to the great good, we are here to serve humanity.”
Spike Lee spoke in depth about Malcolm X, talking about the importance of the filming Malcom’s pilgrimage to Mecca, “We knew that by hook or by crook we had to shoot Malcolm’s Hajj because this is where he felt he converted to true Islam. But up until that point, a movie camera had never been allowed. And by the grace of God, the grace of Allah, the highest Islamic court gave us permission.”
The Red Sea IFF runs thru the 10th and there are many more “In Conversation” to take place in that time.
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