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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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Varieties

The Year's First Meteor Shower and Supermoon Clash in January Skies

People look up to the sky from an observatory near the village of Avren, Bulgaria, Aug. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov, File)
People look up to the sky from an observatory near the village of Avren, Bulgaria, Aug. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov, File)
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The Year's First Meteor Shower and Supermoon Clash in January Skies

People look up to the sky from an observatory near the village of Avren, Bulgaria, Aug. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov, File)
People look up to the sky from an observatory near the village of Avren, Bulgaria, Aug. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov, File)

The year's first supermoon and meteor shower will sync up in January skies, but the light from one may dim the other.

The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks Friday night into Saturday morning, according to the American Meteor Society. In dark skies during the peak, skygazers typically see around 25 meteors per hour, but this time they'll likely glimpse less than 10 per hour due to light from Saturday's supermoon, The AP news reported.

“The biggest enemy of enjoying a meteor shower is the full moon,” said Mike Shanahan, planetarium director at Liberty Science Center in New Jersey.

Meteor showers happen when speedy space rocks collide with Earth’s atmosphere, burning up and leaving fiery tails in their wake — the end of a “shooting star.” A handful of meteors are visible on any given night, but predictable showers appear annually when Earth passes through dense streams of cosmic debris.

Supermoons occur when a full moon is closer to Earth in its orbit. That makes it appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than the faintest moon of the year, according to NASA. That difference can be tough to notice with the naked eye.

Supermoons, like all full moons, are visible in clear skies everywhere that it's night. The Quadrantids, on the other hand, can be seen mainly from the Northern Hemisphere. Both can be glimpsed without any special equipment.

To spot the Quadrantids, venture out in the early evening away from city lights and watch for fireballs before the moon crashes the party, said Jacque Benitez with the Morrison Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences. Skygazers can also try looking during early dawn hours on Sunday.

Wait for your eyes to get used to the darkness, and don’t look at your phone. The space rocks will look like fast-moving white dots and appear over the whole sky.

Meteor showers are named for the constellation where the fireballs appear to come from. The Quadrantids — space debris from the asteroid 2003 EH1 — are named for a constellation that's no longer recognized.

The next major meteor shower, called the Lyrids, is slotted for April.

Supermoons happen a few times a year and come in groups, taking advantage of the sweet spot in the moon’s elliptical orbit. Saturday night’s event ends a four-month streak that started in October. There won't be another supermoon until the end of 2026.

Varieties

New Maritime Theater in Jazan to Host the City's Festival Opening

The site also includes various amenities, such as shopping zones, kiosks for dining, an art gallery - SPA
The site also includes various amenities, such as shopping zones, kiosks for dining, an art gallery - SPA
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New Maritime Theater in Jazan to Host the City's Festival Opening

The site also includes various amenities, such as shopping zones, kiosks for dining, an art gallery - SPA
The site also includes various amenities, such as shopping zones, kiosks for dining, an art gallery - SPA

The Jazan city theater on the southern corniche will host the opening ceremony of the Jazan Festival 2026 on Friday. This event will take place at a 35-square-kilometer site that features the Kingdom's largest maritime theater, SPA reported.

The theater accommodates more than 10,000 spectators and features five VIP areas. To ensure a smooth experience, the venue offers parking for over 9,000 vehicles, providing easy access during peak times.

Built specifically for the festival, the stage meets stringent safety and technical standards, providing a high-quality audiovisual experience against the stunning backdrop of the Red Sea.

The site also includes various amenities, such as shopping zones, kiosks for dining, an art gallery, a play area for children, a bird garden, and a regional museum, showcasing the region's history and culture.

This temporary maritime theater aims to provide a cohesive experience, integrating entertainment, culture, shopping, and services in one location, further establishing Jazan as a year-round destination for tourism and entertainment.

Varieties

Saudi Post Issues Commemorative Stamp for Riyadh Air

Saudi Post Issues Commemorative Stamp for Riyadh Air
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Saudi Post Issues Commemorative Stamp for Riyadh Air

Saudi Post Issues Commemorative Stamp for Riyadh Air

Saudi Post, in collaboration with Riyadh Air, has launched a commemorative stamp set priced at SAR3 to celebrate the airline’s inaugural flights on October 26, 2025, coinciding with the start of its operational phase.

This issuance marks the beginning of operational activities for Riyadh Air as a new national carrier, aiming to serve over 100 destinations worldwide, SPA reported.

Saudi Post's stamps commemorate major national and international events, preserving important moments in Saudi history and appealing to collectors and historians alike.