Three days into the Red Sea Festival hosted in Jeddah, plenty of artists were honored, and many others took the stage and the mic as their platform to either express their gratitude for the Red Sea fund bringing filmmakers together from around the globe or to voice their stance on the impact and meaning of cinema now.
Jomana Al Rashid
In her speech, Al Rashid, who is the chair of the Red Sea Film Foundation Board of Trustees spoke proudly about the three-year journey of the Red Sea, promising attendees a week of global cinematic brilliance that contains hundreds of stories that get the chance to speak for themselves, stories that could have been unheard, or undiscovered.
Diane Kruger
The German actress Diane Kruger dedicated her speech to girls behind the screen watching her as a model become a big success in her field. She sees such festivals as an opportunity to tell female stories, to promote diversity and inspire equality. In short, to give voice to the voiceless girls.
She ended her speech by saying that maybe one little girl watching her tonight will get inspired to tell her own story, or at least start dreaming.
Abdullah Al Sadhan
The prominent figure of Saudi Arabian drama, famous for starring in Tash ma Tash, Al Sadhan was called on stage, kissed on the forehead by the male presenter, and gave a short yet concise speech nutshelling decades of cinematic excellence.
He dedicated the award to everyone who contributed to Saudi Drama especially those who were there at the beginning, and their work which lacked adequate support back then was like carving stones.
Sofia Vergara
The Columbian actress who won the hearts of millions was among the celebrities who were honored during the festival. She stood in awe describing how the beauty of Jeddah has left her mesmerized, and how it reminds her of Latino homes where familial relations are kept sacred.
Ranveer Singh
Upon receiving the Yusr award, Ranveer Singh said he was not expecting it at all, adding that the moment of him standing on stage receiving the award shall be cherished in his memory and never forgotten.
After that, he again described it as a surreal moment and took the time to greet Johnny Depp who in return had met his warm words by touching his heart as a sign of gratitude.
Nabila Ebeid
The Egyptian diva Nabila Ebeid has been honored as part of the “Women in Cinema” Gala held on the second day of the event. Ebeid felt proud of her oeuvre which covers decades of artistic excellence.
In a conversation with her, Ebeid claimed all of her films to be close to her heart, and proud of each one that became a blockbuster even after years of screening and critical acclaim.
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