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Red Sea International Film Festival Kickstarts in Jeddah

Red Sea International Film Festival Chairman Mohammed Al-Turki, Asharq Al-Awsat
Red Sea International Film Festival Chairman Mohammed Al-Turki, Asharq Al-Awsat
    Jeddah - Asma al-Ghabri, Abdulhadi Habtor
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Red Sea International Film Festival Kickstarts in Jeddah

Red Sea International Film Festival Chairman Mohammed Al-Turki, Asharq Al-Awsat
Red Sea International Film Festival Chairman Mohammed Al-Turki, Asharq Al-Awsat

Hours after Jeddah concluded the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the city kickstarted the inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival in the historic downtown area known as Al-Balad. The event was shining with international, Arab, and Saudi film stars, filmmakers, directors, and producers.

The festival, which is set for ten days, presents a solid and diverse program rich in cinematic ideas, methods, and languages, with the participation of veteran performers, young Saudi and Arab artists, and top stars of international cinema.

This first celebration of its kind in the Kingdom is evidence of the cultural and artistic movement that Saudi Arabia is experiencing today, according to the Red Sea International Film Festival Chairman Mohammed Al-Turki.

Al-Turki described the organization of the festival as a “challenge” that Saudi Arabia had accepted and raced against time to have the event rise to the occasion and reach a global stage.

The festival kicked off with the Middle Eastern premiere of Joe Wright’s musical romance Cyrano.

Wright’s first musical adapts Erica Schmidt’s 2018 stage musical of the same name, which was itself based on the classic 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand.

It is noteworthy that the festival will showcase 138 films from 67 countries in more than 30 languages. It will also focus on honoring women and their role in the film industry.

The festival will organize a range of activities, performances, and events, including awards honoring women figures, seminars, and specialized lectures.

French actress Catherine Deneuve, an international artist who has presented many works and won many awards worldwide, including the British Academy Award (BAFTA), will be honored at the festival.

One of the most significant cinematic figures in the Kingdom, Haifaa Al-Mansour, an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, will also be honored at the festival.

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Cafe in Libya Champions Recycling and Sustainability

The owner of the Lamma cafe in the Libyan capital Tripoli says he opened it to to promote sustainability in a country recovering from years of war - AFP
The owner of the Lamma cafe in the Libyan capital Tripoli says he opened it to to promote sustainability in a country recovering from years of war - AFP
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Cafe in Libya Champions Recycling and Sustainability

The owner of the Lamma cafe in the Libyan capital Tripoli says he opened it to to promote sustainability in a country recovering from years of war - AFP
The owner of the Lamma cafe in the Libyan capital Tripoli says he opened it to to promote sustainability in a country recovering from years of war - AFP

In Libya's capital, a cafe's sleek exterior gives little hint of the vibrant space inside, built entirely from recycled materials to promote sustainability in a country recovering from years of war.

Lamma, which means "gathering" or "hangout" in Arabic, has become a cultural hub for locals and other visitors, featuring an art gallery that showcases Libyan artists, and hosts events and workshops.

But its central mission, its owner said, is raising awareness of an eco-friendly lifestyle in Libya, where green initiatives are scarce as people grapple with the aftermath of a gruelling conflict.

"We use materials that were abandoned in the streets, such as rubber from tyres, wood from trees and construction waste" to build the cafe, said Louay Omran Burwais, an architect who designed and founded Lamma.

"The idea is to show people that what is thrown in the street and may seem ugly or useless is actually still valuable," he told AFP.

- 'New mindset' -

Behind the long, narrow door into Lamma, visitors are greeted with a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes.

The plant-covered walls contrast with a web of suspended metal scraps, alcoves and slide tunnels that children swoop down through.

"There are no places like this in Libya," said Roula Ajjawi, Lamma's art director. "We base everything on one aspect that we consider very important: recycling."

Families gather at Lamma on Thursdays, the start of the Libyan weekend, when the cafe holds art workshops for children.

Others borrow books from the venue's small library.

Burwais says his team hopes recycling and other eco-friendly practices, which remain rare, start up in Libya, which currently has no recycling facilities.

Visitors to Lamma will recognize familiar everyday objects repurposed throughout the space, Burwais said, but they will "start seeing them differently. We are here to foster a new mindset".

In Libya, the plastic, metal, and glass left from over a decade of civil war destruction are rarely, if ever, reused or recycled, Ajjawi said.

More often, they are abandoned in nature and on the streets, occasionally washed into the Mediterranean by rain and wind.

But with initiatives like Lamma, objects once destined for the landfill are transformed into works of art -- a concept now catching on with locals.

"I love this place," said Riyad Youssef, now a Lamma regular. "The food is great, the service is excellent, and I appreciate the commitment to reducing waste. Every idea here is amazing."