Multi-hyphenate star Sarah Jessica Parker took Day 7 of the 2024 Red Sea International Film Festival by storm with her ‘In Conversation’ session taking place in front of a packed – and extremely well-dressed – audience in the Culture Square Auditorium.
The actor-producer-publisher-wife-mother-businesswoman-fashion icon-entrepreneur shared her thoughts on the impact ‘Sex and The City’ had – and continues to have – since the first episode aired on 6 June 1998. She spoke on her passion for stories – which likely started when her mother refused to allow her and her seven siblings to leave the house without a book in hand – and the different thrills of performing on camera or stage, or producing.
At the international premiere of 40 ACRES at Culture Square during the evening, director R.T. Thorne and producer Jennifer Holness were joined on the red carpet by stars Kataem O’Connor and Michael Greyeyes. Danny De Vito’s A SUDDEN CASE OF CHRISTMAS had its MENA premiere with a gala screening and KRAVEN THE HUNTER marked its KSA premiere with a special guest appearance by MONKEY MAN writer & star, Dev Patel.
The Festival also celebrated the MENA premieres of MY FRIEND AN DELIE; AGORA; QUIET LIFE and MOON with red carpet visits for AGORA director Ala Eddine Slim; QUIET LIFE’s Alexandros Avranas (director) and Eleni Roussinou (cast) and MOON star Omar AlMadjani.
Stimulating Conversations
2024 RSIFF Honouree Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas were today’s other ‘In Conversation’ guests at Culture Square. In her session, Priyanka Chopra Jonas spoke about how, when she joined the industry, she didn’t know anyone and made many mistakes, so she decided that when she started her production company, she wanted to work specifically for new talent, to guide them and offer them a platform, both in front of and behind the camera.
Nick Jonas shared his experience of the Festival so far was that the real focus on storytelling from a global perspective was thrilling. He said he’d taken note of all the content emanating from the Arab world and was excited to be able to visit the Festival to enjoy so many new stories.
Souk Signs Off
The final day of the Souk was headlined by the Project Market Awards Ceremony, where 31 feature films and seven series at the year’s Red Sea Souk Project Market as well as 24 projects in development by filmmakers from Africa, Arab World or Asia were presented alongside the 12 projects selected for this year’s Red Sea Lodge program competed for cash and in-kind honours.
The day also took in the last of the panel discussions, including one from Viola Davis, Julius Tennon and Lavaille Lavette’s JVL Media on ‘Championing Underserved Voices’ and another which explored opportunities for international projects in Saudi Arabia.
The ‘Championing Underserved Voices’ panel featured Tennon (JuVee Productions – President of Development and Production) and Lavaille (JVL Media – Media Partner), with Rikki Hughes (producer/showrunner, Magic Lemonade Productions) and Eriq La Salle (actor, director, writer, producer), moderated by Rasha AlEmam (Yellow Camel – Co-Founder | CEO| Producer), discussing how greenlighting more content with underserved voices isn’t just a cultural imperative – it’s also good business.
The ’New Horizons: Collaborating with the Saudi Film Industry – Sponsored by Visit Saudi’ panel explored the different locations, facilities and enablement solutions Saudi Arabia has to offer to local and international productions and filmmakers. Moderated by Nadine Kreish, Head of Program Administration – Red Sea International Film Foundation, the panel comprised Rasha AlEmam (Founder, CEO, Producer at Yellow Camel Studios); Mahsa Motamedi (Marketing Director – Film AlUla); Neil Peplow (Director of Industry Learning at NEOM Media); Emad Eskandar (Head of Red Sea Fund – Red Sea International Film Foundation) and Faisal Alaseeri, Director of Financing Programs Development – Cultural Development Fund.
Partnerships
The RSIFF also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Cultural Development Fund to provide co-funding for the film sector. The agreement will see the partners working together to co-finance filmmaking projects in order to enhance the creative movement witnessed by the film sector, and motivate filmmakers to be an active part of it.
The memorandum comes within the framework of efforts to enhance cooperation and integration between the Fund and the film sector system, and to create effective strategic partnerships with the government, private and non-profit sectors to develop and grow the cultural scene and enhance its positive impact.