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Red Sea Film Foundation Participates in Toronto International Film Festival

Red Sea FF is participating in the 2024 TIFF with a diverse program
Red Sea FF is participating in the 2024 TIFF with a diverse program
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Red Sea Film Foundation Participates in Toronto International Film Festival

Red Sea FF is participating in the 2024 TIFF with a diverse program
Red Sea FF is participating in the 2024 TIFF with a diverse program

The Red Sea Film Foundation (Red Sea FF) is participating in the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) with a diverse program.

Three films supported by the Red Sea FF have been selected for screening within the TIFF's program, a move that reinforces the Red Sea Film Foundation's ongoing efforts to highlight Arab cinema on the global stage.

As part of its participation, the Red Sea FF is hosting a panel discussion in collaboration with TIFF's Conference Center, titled "Bridging Cinematic Cultures: Making Films with the Arab World."

This panel aims to explore prospects for cooperation between international and Arab filmmakers. It will feature a select group of experts, led by Managing Director of the Red Sea Film Foundation, Shivani Pandya Malhotra, alongside Founder of Dubai-based film sales outfit Cercamon, Sebastien Chesneau; Paris-based filmmaker Hind Meddeb; and Founder and Producer of OFFSHORE, Fabrice Préel-Cléach.

"Our Red Sea-supported films at TIFF this year depict the breadth of talent from across the Arab and African regions, showcasing the spectrum of genres and themes that these talented directors are bringing to the international stage,” Managing Director of the Red Sea Film Foundation Shivani Pandya Malhotra said.

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Australia Tells US Influencer: 'Leave Baby Wombat Alone'

Australia's Wombat Protection Society said the influencer "mishandled a wombat joey." AFP
Australia's Wombat Protection Society said the influencer "mishandled a wombat joey." AFP
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Australia Tells US Influencer: 'Leave Baby Wombat Alone'

Australia's Wombat Protection Society said the influencer "mishandled a wombat joey." AFP
Australia's Wombat Protection Society said the influencer "mishandled a wombat joey." AFP

Australia's top diplomat urged a visiting American influencer on Thursday to "leave the baby wombat alone", after a video appeared to show the woman pestering a young marsupial.

In a now-deleted video posted to Instagram this week, the woman can be seen picking up the hissing wild animal before declaring to the camera: "I caught a baby wombat".

The woman -- identified in Australian media as American outdoors influencer Sam Jones -- then places the wombat back on the side of the road, AFP reported.

The video riled wildlife experts and animal lovers alike -- and on Thursday, concern over it reached the top echelons of the Australian government.

"It looked pretty dreadful, didn't it?" Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong told Australia's Channel Seven.

"I think everyone who would have seen that would have thought, look, leave the baby wombat alone."

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said he was investigating if the woman had violated her visa.

"I can't wait for Australia to see the back of this individual, I don't expect she will return," he said in a statement.

Australia's Wombat Protection Society said the influencer "mishandled a wombat joey" in an "apparent snatch for social media likes".

"She then placed the vulnerable baby back onto a country road -- potentially putting it at risk of becoming roadkill."

Australia's rotund native wombats are among the world's biggest burrowing species, according to the national museum.

While some species are considered endangered, the common bare-nosed wombat is found along large swathes of southern and eastern Australia.