International correspondent
Bloomberg Screentime | New Saudi New Cinema – Red Sea Film Foundation Chair Jomana Alrashid
Saudi Arabia will be a prominent presence at this year’s Venice Film Festival, with six Arabic films supported by the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation being screened in various sections, including an industry showcase.
These include Tunisian director Mehdi M. Barsaoui’s drama “Aïcha,” about a woman who flees her life in a small town after miraculously surviving a bus crash, and Egyptian director Khaled Mansour’s “Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo,” a debut film about a young man forced to confront his fears. These films received their initial impetus from Red Sea financing programs, which are becoming a major engine for the Arab film industry.
Variety spoke with Jomana Al-Rashid, president of the Red Sea Film Festival International Film Foundation, about encouraging Saudi Arabia's rapidly evolving film scene.
