The Fourth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) came to a crescendo with the naming of the winners of this year’s prestigious Yusr Awards.
The features jury, Tûba Büyüküstün, Minnie Driver, Daniel Dae Kim, and Abu Bakr Shawky, led by Jury President Spike Lee deliberated to finally select winners across 16 feature films in competition, while the shorts jury Hamzah Jamjoom, Ramata-Toulaye Sy, and Ke-Xi Wu judged across the short film offering of RSIFF 2024.
RED PATH (Tunisia) directed by Lotfi Achour was awarded the prestigious Golden Yusr for Best Feature Film. An extraordinary journey into the wounded psyche of a child in a war zone, RED PATH is the third feature film by director Lotfi Achour, and it had its world premiere at the Locarno Festival in Switzerland. With this film, we observe the development of Tunisian cinema, its craftsmanship, and its distinctive presence in this edition of the festival.
Jomana Al-Rashid, Chairwoman of the Red Sea Film Foundation, said: “We are honored to have welcomed the world to The New Home of Film here in Jeddah, hosted for the first time at our Festival’s iconic new home in Al Balad. Over the past 8 days, we have celebrated the transformative power of cinema and championed diverse narratives from across the globe.
This year’s Festival showcased an extraordinary lineup of 122 films from 85 countries, fostering meaningful connections, groundbreaking deals, dynamic partnerships, and forward-thinking innovations at the Red Sea Souk market. With such milestones achieved, the future of film in the region is undeniably bright, and we are proud to be at the forefront of this exciting journey.”
Mohammed Asseri, Interim CEO Red Sea Film Foundation said: “We have forged new partnerships and announced new initiatives to support emerging voices in new regions at this year’s Festival, the fruits of which will be seen in future editions of the Red Sea International Film Festival.”
Shivani Pandya Malhotra, RSIFF Managing Director said: “I am delighted to see projects from both our Labs and Fund programmes emerging as winners tonight. In 2024, 50% of films at the Festival were world or international premieres, with 46 world premieres, 15 international premieres and 53 MENA premieres. That filmmakers chose to share their work with the world or the region for the first time at the Red Sea International Film Festival emphasises its role as The New Home of Film. The variety of films at this year’s Festival takes the number of countries represented across the four editions to 85 – and we look forward to growing that number again in 2025”.
Asharq Best Documentary
Awarded for Best Documentary In Competition – $10 000 prize
Winner: Santiago Mazar for STATE OF SILENCE
Chopard Emerging Saudi Talent
Winner: Roula Dakheellahah
Film AlUla Audience Award International Film
Winner: LITTLE JAFFNA – Directed by Lawrence Valin
Film AlUla Audience Award Saudi Film
With a $50 000 prize
Winner: HOBAL – Directed by Abdulaziz Alshlahei
Shorts Competition
Silver Yusr Short Film
With a $12,500 prize
Winner: ALAZAR – Directed by Baiza Hailu Lemma
Golden Yusr Best Short Film
With a $25 000 prize
Winner: HATCH – Directed by Alireza Kazemipour and Panta Mosleh
Features
Yusr Cinematic Achievement
Winner: TO KILL A MONGOLIAN HORSE / Tao Qiu
Yusr Best Actor
Winner: Mahmoud Bakri / TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Yusr Best Actress
Winner: Mariam Sherif / SNOW WHITE
Yusr Best Screenplay
With a $10 000 prize
Winner: SONGS OF ADAM / Oday Rasheed
Yusr Best Director
With a $10 000 prize
Winner: Lotfi Achour / RED PATH
Yusr Jury Prize
With a $10 000 prize
Winner: SEEKING HAVEN FOR MR. RAMBO / Khaled Mansour
Silver Yusr Feature Film
With a $30 000 prize
Winner: TO A LAND UNKNOWN / Mahdi Fleifel
Golden Yusr Best Feature Film
With a $100 000
Winner: RED PATH / Lotfi Achour
