A community outreach program aiming to demystify the world of cinema and educate the Saudi youth on acting, directing, and producing

The program will be activated in four neighborhoods in Jeddah and will showcase six screenings

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – October 10th, 2021:  The Red Sea International Film Festival presents Cinema Al-Hara – a first-of-its-kind community outreach program consisting of outdoor master classes and film screenings in various Jeddah neighbourhoods. The proactive approach of the program was inspired by the idea to take the festival to the heart of the city of Jeddah and straight to the people. Cinema Al-Hara will feature six screenings in four different neighbourhoods in Jeddah. The program will run from October 9th until October 30th, 2021.

Red Sea International Film Festival aims to make the film industry accessible to people of all ages. With this community outreach program, the company is targeting the Saudi youth specifically to inspire the next generation of filmmakers who might otherwise not have considered filmmaking as a career. However, the program is open for all Jeddah residents to engage and participate in the program’s masterclasses and films.

Edouard Waintrop, Artistic Director of the (RedSeaIFF) said: “Saudi Arabia is rife with untapped talent, and it is among our priorities to enable our local talents to fulfil their potential. With our Cinema Al-Hara community outreach program, we have taken the film industry to the streets of Jeddah in an effort to educate, empower and spark an interest in the youth by giving them the tools to succeed and fostering their talent. Red Sea International Film Festival aims to be a pioneer in Saudi Arabia and globally, not just for the festival activities, collaborations and competitions, but also for the impact we leave on the future generations with our community outreach programs.”.

Cinema Al-Hara will have six directors and three actors from around the Kingdom who will participate in the project, owing to the great support of the local filmmaking community. The format of the master class will consist of shooting a scene in front of a live audience with guidance from the directors and actors present. The audience will be immersed in an experiential journey, as three to five audience members will be chosen based on their ticket numbers to participate in filming the scene as extras or as part of the crew. 

Red Sea International Film Festival will provide movie screenings along with complimentary refreshments and snacks, open to the audience. The films that will be screened at Cinema Al-Hara include Book of Sun, Baghdad Messi and Bekas; which were selected due to their appeal among the youth.