Red Sea International Film Festival, the stars meet after the Hollywood strike

What we are witnessing these days at the Red Sea International Film Festival is the demonstration that, for those who make cinema, be they actresses, actors, directors or directors, but also male and female producers (and more and more often those who are in front of the camera also sits in the rooms where decisions are made to choose with greater autonomy the stories to tell and the roles to play) festivals go far beyond the red carpet. They are, in fact, unique opportunities to meet colleagues with whom you have worked, with whom you would like to do so one day or even just with people who are part of your world with whom you can talk and exchange opinions.

The actors’ strike, which began last July and ended, after 118 days, on November 9th, however, had almost completely jammed the festival machine, and the Red Sea International Film Festival, which takes place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from November 30th to December 9threpresented one of the first opportunities for this sort of extended entertainment family to meet again.

Starting from there, we thought we’d ask some of the festival’s leading ladies who they posed for an exclusive portfolio that Vanity Fair will publish soonwhat it was like to find yourself at a major international event and what role film festivals have for those who experience them in the dual role of star and insider.

Festivals as a showcase for talent

«Festivals like the Red Sea International Film Festival are essential above all to raise awareness of projects that do not yet have distribution and which, otherwise, would have no chance of reaching the public», he says Freida Pinto, invited to Jeddah as a juror for this third edition of the festival. A role that makes her presence here even more special, «because even though I already find the opportunity to see so many films wonderful, I like the idea of ​​having a task to do», she explains.

«Film festivals represent a meeting point for different cultures and are fundamental for promoting talents from all over the world and the same can be said for films, which have the very important role of putting us in contact with each other, opening up our minds. It’s true that today platforms, in addition to giving work to many people, are a means for bringing the work of filmmakers to a global audience, but I believe a balance is needed. Platforms and cinemas must find a way to collaborate.”

For Paz Vegaguest for the second year of the Red Sea International Film Festival and, she too, called to be part of the jury of the 2023 edition, one of the major attractions of this event lies in its still new, young nature. «I love new things and when they invited me, since I had never been to Saudi Arabia, I thought it was a great opportunity to discover a piece of the world that I didn’t know. Last year I was already very impressed by the turnout and the perfect organisation. I am convinced that this festival will have a long history ahead of it.”

Then, regarding the jury, he adds: «The president, Baz Luhrmann, is a great director with a profound knowledge of cinema and the films in competition are of an excellent level, and this is the most important thing in a festival. But for me the task of the juror goes beyond judging the work of others. I expect to learn new things, myself first.” So he says he has just finished working on his first film as a director which is entitled Rita, named after the little girl protagonist. A story set in Spain during the European football championships. «I have several films coming out in which I have participated as an actress, but this is the project I care about the most. On the screen I carved out a very small role for myself but what matters most is that, in addition to having directed the film, I also wrote and produced it. It will be released in 2024. It would be nice to be able to present it at some film festivals.”

There are many directors and screenwriters

Creating a bridge between different cultures is the declared objective of the Red Sea International Film Festival and the actress and producer Michelle Williams has no doubts that this is the main role of all film festivals, «also because creating bridges is who make the films themselves: you watch them and you can imagine yourself in other people’s lives, in countries you don’t know”, he says. «We believe we are different, far from each other but, instead, as human beings, invisible bonds keep us together. Film festivals highlight this well and that’s why it’s important for me to be here. In addition to the fact that in the various sections there are many female directors and screenwriters who I can’t wait to find out more about.”

For Maïwenn, who he accompanied to Jeddah Jeanne du Barry – The king’s favorite, one of the titles in the Special Screenings section, the acid test was the Cannes festival. Not only because the film he directed, produced and starred in was chosen as the opening title, but also because of his co-star: Johnny Depp (he also appeared on the red carpet of the Red Sea International Film Festival on the occasion of the opening Gala) fresh from the defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard. But, since the film has not yet been released in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, the showcase of the Red Sea International Film Festival is an important opportunity to promote it.

«Also because», says Maïwenn, «Jeanne’s story has a special meaning for me. I feel very close to this character.” And she explains: «she was a free woman, who loved the sovereign, the King of France Louis XV and who, for this reason, was targeted by the court. She was self-taught, she had trained herself through reading and books. I’m not exactly like her, but in certain things she reminds me of my life, my childhood. I too had to find my own way to grow, study and deepen my knowledge. I don’t like seeing myself on the screen, but I would never have given the character of Jeanne du Barry to any other actress.”

If Maïwenn loves to talk about her work, she confesses that she doesn’t feel at all comfortable on the red carpet: «But I have to do it, it’s part of my job. While the part I love most is the writing, the preparation with the actors.” What was it like directing Johnny Depp? «I didn’t know what to expect. Sometimes it was easy, nice, other times harder. But all actors are like that.”