How The Red Sea Film Festival 2022 Is Making A Mark In Saudi Cinema

The evolution of Saudi cinema continues apace, not least with the latest edition of the Red Sea Film Festival

We are currently witnessing the history of Saudi cinema being spectacularly written before our eyes. Which is why the return of the Red Sea International Film Festival this year, with its theme ‘Film is Everything’, is quite so exciting.

This year’s edition comes with a unique collection of independent films, some of which aim to uncover the secrets of our culture that have always been under wraps. They employ honest narratives about the challenges we face in the hope that the coming generations can avoid them.

The story of short film Badeel (Alternative), directed by Saudi photographer Hayat Osamah explores the search within the self, and a reassessment of both beliefs and virtues. This silent movie portrays the journey of two individuals (Adam and Eve) in an unknown location – another planet following an apocalypse in 3991, where the two must survive by finding the base ‘Maraya’.

Hayat notes that construction and destruction are deeply rooted within our human nature. This is why Adam and Eve embark on a journey of solitude to search for and discover themselves so that they may reunite in ‘Maraya’ with their true selves.

From Harper’s Bazaar Saudi’s Winter 2022 issue.