Daily Times

The Red Sea International Film Festival hosted a glittering closing night gala with A-list stars posing on the red carpet in Jeddah.

The likes of Henry Golding, Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry, Nicolas Cage, Adrien Brody and Andrew Garfield hit the red carpet, with “Crazy Rich Asians” star Golding telling Arab News “it only keeps getting better and better.

I think it’s so smooth tonight and it’s just been magnificent to be on the red carpet here and share this space with Nicolas Cage, Baz Luhrmann and Frieda Pinto … I feel very lucky.” The festival wrapped up its third edition with a screening of “Ferrari,” a biopic directed by Michael Mann starring Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, Shailene Woodley and Patrick Dempsey.

Although Thursday night marked the closing ceremony and Yusr Awards, the festival will continue its slate of screenings until Dec. 9. Mohammed Al-Turki, CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation, previously spoke about “Ferrari” in a released statement, saying: “This exhilarating film has been close to the festival’s ‘heart,’ as it has been supported by our Red Sea International Film Financing, a vehicle for us to champion acclaimed storytellers and create the opportunity for cultural exchange.

Michael Mann’s powerful film shows true craftsmanship and empathy for the ambitious genius behind one of the world’s most desired works of design.”

During the gala night, the festival unveiled this year’s Yusr Awards, which “recognise and celebrate boldness and innovation in film, awarding the biggest prizes in the region to both emerging and established voices across the formats of fiction, documentary and animation,” as stated on the festival’s website. This year’s jury was presided over by director Baz Luhrmann, who was joined by Swedish American actor Joel Kinnaman; Freida Pinto; Egyptian actor Amina Khalil and Spain’s Paz Vega.

The Red Sea International Film Festival kicked off on Nov. 30 with a gala screening of Dubai-based Iraqi director Yasir Al-Yasiri’s “HWJN,” which is based on a YA novel by Saudi writer Ibraheem Abbas. Set in modern-day Jeddah, “HWJN” follows the story of a kind-hearted jinn – an invisible entity in Islamic tradition – as he discovers the truth about his royal lineage.

Meanwhile, German actress Diane Kruger, Bollywood star Ranveer Singh and Saudi actor-writer Abdullah Al-Sadhan received career honours at the festival this year.

The Red Sea International Film Festival features 11 categories of films: Special Screenings; Red Sea: Competition; Red Sea: Shorts Competition; Festival Favorites; Arab Spectacular; International Spectacular; New Saudi/ New Cinema: Shorts; Red Sea: New Vision; Red Sea: Families and Children; Red Sea: Series and Red Sea: Treasures.