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| Baz Luhrmann Head of the Jury |
- Cinarts24
THE RED SEA
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES BAZ LUHRMANN AS HEAD OF JURY FOR 2023
EDITION
The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF),
today announced internationally renowned writer, director and producer BazLuhrmann (Elvis, Moulin Rouge!) will preside over the Festival’s Red Sea:
Features Competition Jury this year. The third edition of the festival will
take place from 30 November – 9 December in Jeddah, nestled on the eastern
shore of the Red Sea.
The legendary Academy Award® nominated auteur is known for being a master storyteller across
film, opera, theatre and music, with his most recent film Elvis (2022) becoming
the second-highest grossing musical biopic of all time globally. Luhrmann’s
critically acclaimed filmography includes double Academy Award® -winning The Great Gatsby (2013), Strictly Ballroom (1992), Romeo+ Juliet (1996), double Academy Award® -winning Moulin Rouge (2001) and sweeping
period epic Australia (2008).
The Red Sea: Features competition will showcase the highest
achievements from a diverse range of filmmakers from the Arab region, Asia and
Africa. 17 features will be selected and showcase the most compelling, unique
and impressive work from the past year, with the winners being selected by
Luhrmann and the highly esteemed Jury to receive the coveted Yusr Awards. For
2022, the Golden Yusr for Best Feature Film was awarded to Hanging Gardens directed
by Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji.
Mohammed Al Turki; CEO of the Red Sea IFF, said: “As we work
towards our third edition, we are delighted to welcome legendary award-winning
director Baz Luhrmann as the head of the Jury. Baz is a pioneer of pop culture
with incredible versatility across the creative fields, and it’s a great honour
to have him head our third edition jury presidency. We look forward to
announcing the films and celebrating the outstanding filmmaking taking place
across the Arab world, Asia and Africa.”
Baz
Luhrmann added: “As a
child in the local cinema that we ran near the tiny country town where I grew
up, I was mesmerized by the powerful historical and physical landscapes of Lawrence
of Arabia. Since that time, I have had an abiding passion for the Arabian
world, but after visiting Saudi Arabia,
I felt truly inspired by the remarkable young filmmaking talent coming up
across the region and to see how they are now capturing the attention of the
global film community. It’s an honor to be presiding over this year's Red Sea
International Film Festival’s Jury, alongside leading and emerging lights in the industry, and to be part of the evolution of change that is happening
through cinema across the Arab region, Asia and Africa. Since the early days of my career, I
have experienced the power of storytelling and festivals to open doors and
forge bridges between artists and across cultures. I look forward to celebrating both emerging talent
and the incredible established auteurs from the region in the vibrant, diverse
and distinctive cinematic offering that the festival is becoming renowned for
presenting in Jeddah.”
Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962) is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is regarded by some as a contemporary example of an auteur for his style and deep involvement in the writing, directing, design, and musical components of all his work. He is the most commercially successful Australian director, with four of his films in the top ten highest worldwide grossing Australian films of all time.
About the Red Sea International Film Festival
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