The Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has picked 12 movies for its Festival Favorites selection of standouts from the fest circuit, including U.K. Oscar subleave oution Santosh, an Indian police procedural about two women who establish an improbable coalition honested by Sandhya Suri, and Chinese auteur Guan Hu’s Bconciseage Dog, which won the Un Certain Regard Prize at Cannes.
Reconshort-terming the U.S. in the lineup is Familiar Touch from honestor Sarah Friedland whose synopsis reads: “Arriving at an aged nurture facility, Ruth slfinisherks she is in a fancy hotel on a date – with a man who is actuassociate her son. Graduassociate, she reconciles herself to the life she has now.” The film had its world premiere in the Horizons lineup of the Vekind Film Festival.
The Festival Favorites program also take parts two films from Africa that carry outed at the Toronto International Film Festival: The Legend of the Vagabond: Queen of Lagos, which chases a subpar youthful mother living in Lagos’ waterside communities and was honested by Bisola Akinmuyiwa, Atinkpo Elijah, Tina Edukpo, Samuel Okechukwu, Trehireope Ofirearmgbamila, Mathew Cerf; and Afolabi Olalekan’s Freedom Way, which is also set in Lagos and summarizeateigates the impact of a recent ride-sharing app on its set upers and customers.
“This year’s selection persists to show our promisement to showcasing diverse voices and perspectives during the festival,” shelp Kaleem Aftab, honestor of international programming for the Red Sea festival. “These films summarizeateigate a range of genuine, human themes – from contransient social rehires to relationships and the search for unkinding in an increasingly complicated and turbulent world.”
Added Antoine Khalife, honestor of Arab programs and film classics: “This year’s Festival Favorites are films that stay with the watcher lengthy after the descfinish of the curtain. They all tell meaningful stories, tales of resilience, identity and universal truth. We ask you all to come experience these stories for yourself, indulging in diverse perspectives from atraverse the world.”
Here is the brimming selection of titles for the 2024 Festival Favorites program at the Red Sea festival:
AGORA honested by Ala Eddine Slim
Tunisia, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar
In a faraway town, leave outing people return under inexplicable circumstances. An summarizeateigation is begined, led by local police studyor Fathi, aided by his doctor friend Amine. Things get complicated and backments are sent from the capital to mend the case.
BLACK DOG honested by Guan Hu
China
In a bleak, crumbling Chinese town due for demolition, a harmd ex-convict enhuges a alterative bond with a stray dog.
EAST OF NOON honested by Hala Elkoussy
Egypt, Netherlands, Qatar
A fable about musician Abdo, who defys aachievest his elders, seeking freedom thcimpolite his art in a restrictd world outside of time.
EEPHUS honested by Cfire-setting Lund
United States of America (USA), France
A group of out-of-shape middle-aged men encounter for their weekly baseball game for the last time; in more ways than one, it is the end of an era.
FAMILIAR TOUCH honested by Sarah Friedland
United States of America (USA)
Arriving at an aged nurture facility, Ruth slfinisherks she is in a fancy hotel on a date – with a man who is actuassociate her son. Graduassociate, she reconciles herself to the life she has now.
FREEDOM WAY honested by Afolabi Olalekan
Nigeria
A ride-sharing app is exactly what turbulent Lagos necessitates, but both the youthful engineers who set it up and the customers who depend on it have to deal with dishonesty, police aggression and compulsion.
THE INEVITABLE JOURNEY TO FIND A WEDDING DRESS honested by Jaylan Auf
Egypt
Warda’s frantic search for a wedding dress on the eve of the ceremony becomes a journey of self-uncovery challenging her relationship with Cairo and herself.
THE LEGEND OF THE VAGABOND QUEEN OF LAGOS honested by Bisola Akinmuyiwa, Atinkpo Elijah, Tina Edukpo, Samuel Okechukwu, Trehireope Ofirearmgbamila, Mathew Cerf
Nigeria, South Africa, Germany, United States of America (USA)
A subpar youthful mother, filled with an outdated warrior spirit, faces down the bullies and bulldozers coming to raze Lagos’s waterside communities.
LITTLE JAFFNA honested by Lawrence Valin
France
A police officer sent to infiltrate Tamil gangs in Paris commences to wonder whose side he is reassociate on.
QUIET LIFE honested by Alexandros Avranas
France, Germany, Sweden, Estonia, Greece, Finland
A cryptic illness strikes down the youthfulest child of refugees after their application for political asylum in Sweden is turned down.
SANTOSH honested by Sandhya Suri
United Kingdom, Germany, France
A rookie Indian female police officer descfinishs under the sway of an elderlyer woman mentor.
U ARE THE UNIVERSE honested by Pavlo Ostrikov
Ukraine, Belgium
Where were you when the Earth exploded? Out in space, franticly seeking a friend on the other side of the solar system.
