The 2nd edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival, scheduled between December 1 and 10, has unveiled seven movies that will be part of this year’s “Red Sea: Treasures” category.
Antoine Khalifeh, Director of Arab Programs & Film Classics of the RedSeaIFF said: “Red Sea: Treasures is a celebration of some of the most iconic and widely acclaimed cinematic storytelling ever to grace the screen. As part of this program committed to preserving timeless films from the history of international cinema, and through the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation, we have been able to restore two Egyptian classics for a new generation of audiences. This comes from our belief in the importance of cinema heritage in inspiring promising filmmakers, and entertaining cinema aficionados.”
Kaleem Aftab, director of the international programming for the Red SeaIFF, said that the Red Sea: Treasures category is “designed to unlock film heritage and reintroduce a diverse selection of masterpieces that have made an important contribution to cinema history, and left a deep effect throughout generations.”
The lineup includes the soccer film “Bend it Like Beckham” (2002), seen as a cultural phenomenon at the time, and one of the most successful football-themed movies ever. Directed by Gurinder Chadha, and starred by Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley, the film revolves around Jess Bhamr (Parminder Nagra), an Indian girl who adores football and dreams of becoming a professional, international player like her role model David Beckham. While her Punjab parents have other plans for her future, Jess meets her new friend Jules (Keira Knightley), member of the women soccer team, who invites her to join the team.
“La Grande Illusion” (The Big Illusion - 1937), an 80-year-old masterpiece directed by Jean Renoir. The film’s story takes place during World War I, one of the fiercest, most bloody conflicts in history, where a group of French soldiers are captivated by German commander Yohan von Rauffenstein. The group includes the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal (Jean Gabin), aristocratic Captain de Boëldieu (Pierre Fresnay), and Rosenthal (Marcel Dalio). After the captives’ plan to dig a tunnel to escape the first camp fails, they are transferred to the Wintersborn fortress to face the German commander again.
“Sambizanga” (1972), is about the anti-colonial struggle in 1970s Africa. Directed by Sarah Maldoror, the film is based on the novella of Angolan writer José Luandino Vieira, which was banned from publishing by the Angolan government until its independence from Portugal, in 1975. The film revolves around Maria, who’s looking for her husband, a political prisoner. The drama describes the cruelty of the Portuguese government and the heroism of the Angolan people fighting colonialism.
Jim Jarmusch’s debut film “Stranger than Paradise” (1984): The film’s story takes place in a conventional US city, where there are no jobs or opportunities. Hungarian-born Willie (John Lurie) moves with his friend Eddie (Richard Edson) and their 16-year-old cousin Eva (Eszter Balint) from New York’s eastern part to Lake Erie and Florida beaches, without a clear goal in mind.
“Stranger Than Rotterdam” (2021), a short documentary that will be screened with Jarmusch’s film, unveils the behind-the-scenes struggle of director and producer Sara Driver to fund “Stranger than Paradise”.
The historical war features “Lion of the Desert” (1980), a masterpiece by late director Moustapha Akkad. The popular film tells the story of Libyan leader Omar Mukhtar (Anthony Quinn), and his heroic role in leading the national resistance against Fascist, Italian colonialism in 1929. The film will be displayed in high resolution for the first time after its restoration using high-end techniques.
The Egyptian classic “Khali Balak Min Zouzou” (1972) directed by Hassan Imam. This film has a great audience in all the Egyptian and Arabic generations; it tells the story of a young girl that mentally struggles between what she loves and what her conservative society imposes. She’s the daughter of dancer Noma, who lives in the Mohammed Ali street, and she can’t express her love for singing and dancing because they’re described as inappropriate in her community. Then, her fate leads her to meet and fall in love with a wealthy man. The film highlights the social shifts that Egypt witnessed in the 1970s, and combines drama, comedy, and musical performance. Starred by Soad Hosny and Hussein Fahmi, “Khali Balak Min Zouzou” hit a record in the history of Arabic cinema when released in 1972.
“Gharam Fil Karnak” (1967) directed by Ali Reda. It tells the story of a group of young dancers who struggle to succeed with low financial resources. The situation becomes more complicated when Amina, the group’s main dancer, and Salah, the director, fall in love and live a relationship full of misunderstandings. The film has great significance in the history of Arabic cinema, and its restoration and display aim at inspiring the coming generation of filmmakers.
