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Red Sea Film Festival Unveils ‘New Saudi, New Cinema’ Program for Filmmakers

The Red Sea International Film Festival
The Red Sea International Film Festival
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Red Sea Film Festival Unveils ‘New Saudi, New Cinema’ Program for Filmmakers

The Red Sea International Film Festival
The Red Sea International Film Festival

The Red Sea International Film Festival revealed Thursday the highlights of its fourth edition in December, introducing the "New Saudi, New Cinema" program dedicated for filmmakers.

The initiative is set to embody diversity and innovation in the vibrant Saudi cinematic landscape, illuminating authentic local narratives that delve deep into the rich tapestry of Saudi cultural identity and heritage.

This year’s program features a selection of 20 films, varying from fantasy to reality and showcasing the talents of Saudi creators. The movies exhibit compelling themes such as ambition, identity, music, and inherited narratives, while exploring the intricate dynamics of human relationships.

The program reflects the talented individuals’ potential in narrating unique stories in an innovative fashion, propelling the development and global resonance of Saudi cinema.

The films herald a fresh vision for the Saudi film industry, underscoring the unwavering support of the festival for Saudi filmmakers who have triumphed on the global stage. The festival stands as a premier platform for these visionaries to unveil their talents and creations to a worldwide audience.

Red Sea International Film Festival director of Arab programs and film classics Antoine Khalife highlighted the festival's steadfast dedication to presenting a program that mirrors the ever-evolving landscape of Saudi cinema. He expressed his enthusiasm in showcasing a diverse array of films this year, spanning animated features, narratives, and documentaries.

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Varieties

Camilla Takes Missing ‘Winnie-the-Pooh' Stuffed Toy to New York to Complete Set

Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Kanga, and Eeyore are currently on display at the library. (New York Public Library)
Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Kanga, and Eeyore are currently on display at the library. (New York Public Library)
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Camilla Takes Missing ‘Winnie-the-Pooh' Stuffed Toy to New York to Complete Set

Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Kanga, and Eeyore are currently on display at the library. (New York Public Library)
Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Kanga, and Eeyore are currently on display at the library. (New York Public Library)

A missing stuffed toy from the collection that inspired the "Winnie-the-Pooh" stories is to be replaced by Queen Camilla, when she visits New York on this week's state visit to the US.

On public display at New York Public Library are the original stuffed toys from the 1920s - Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, Kanga, and Tigger - that were owned by AA Milne's son and inspired the famous book characters, according to BBC.

But missing from the lineup is the original figure of the young kangaroo, called Roo, which the library says was lost in the 1930s.

The Queen is bringing a specially-made Roo to complete the collection, which will travel on the royal flight to the US on Monday.

Queen Camilla will give the library a toy Roo, made by the same firm, Merrythought, that made the original toys in the 1920s.

Royal sources describe the gift as “royal soft (toy) power.”

The Queen's visit to the library, and its Treasures collection, will also mark the centenary of the first Winnie-the-Pooh book being published.

AA Milne created the much-loved bedtime stories - which were later made into a Disney cartoon - based on the collection of stuffed toys belonging to his son, Christopher Robin Milne.

The toy animals already have a track record as transatlantic cultural ambassadors.

They had been in the Sussex home of author AA Milne, before touring the US in 1947, going on display in New York in 1956 and then becoming permanent residents at the library in 1987, after being donated by a US publisher.

But according to the New York Public Library, the kangaroo toy that inspired Roo "was lost in an apple orchard during the 1930s".

The famous toy bear Winnie took its name from a black bear in London Zoo, that was particularly popular with children, including the son of AA Milne.

While the New York library has the stuffed toys, London has the skull of the original Winnie, kept by the Royal College of Surgeons after the bear's death in 1934.

The Queen's visit to the library will be part of her campaign to promote reading and literacy.

Varieties

Tsunami Survivor Battles Wildfire to Protect Hometown in Japan’s Northeast

Volunteer firefighter Ryota Haga carries a fire hose to battle a wildfire in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, April 26, 2026. (Reuters)
Volunteer firefighter Ryota Haga carries a fire hose to battle a wildfire in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, April 26, 2026. (Reuters)
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Tsunami Survivor Battles Wildfire to Protect Hometown in Japan’s Northeast

Volunteer firefighter Ryota Haga carries a fire hose to battle a wildfire in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, April 26, 2026. (Reuters)
Volunteer firefighter Ryota Haga carries a fire hose to battle a wildfire in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, April 26, 2026. (Reuters)

Ryota Haga was in high school when the biggest earthquake ever recorded in Japan triggered a deadly tsunami and swept away his family home in the quiet northeastern town of Otsuchi in March 2011.

Now 31 with a wife and toddler, the volunteer firefighter faces another natural disaster: this time a wildfire raging for a sixth day and threatening his community after burning through more than 1,600 hectares of forest as of Monday morning.

"It's been 15 ‌years since the (Great ‌East Japan) Earthquake, and our lives were finally beginning ‌to ⁠settle down," Haga ⁠said at the end of another draining day battling the blaze on Sunday.

"We can't let people lose what is precious to them all over again. The fire is spreading and our exhaustion is at a limit, but it's our hometown. We will protect it at all costs, even if it feels like we're running on empty."

Otsuchi was among the hardest-hit coastal towns in 2011, when ⁠a tsunami estimated around 10 meters (33 ft) high swept through ‌the small fishing town. Nearly 1,300 ‌residents, or about a tenth of its population, perished, including its mayor.

The scale of ‌the current fire is nothing that Haga has ever experienced, he said. Some ‌1,400 firefighters and dozens of Self-Defense Force personnel have been deployed so far, with no prospects yet of bringing the blaze under control despite some scattered rain forecast on Monday.

While Japan has experienced relatively few large-scale wildfires compared with other parts of the ‌world, climate change has increased their frequency, especially as the early spring months before the humid rainy season have been ⁠hot, dry and ⁠with winds that can whip up flames. On Sunday, another wildfire started in Fukushima, also in Japan's northeastern region.

For Haga, the increasing instances of wildfires have added to a longer-term concern over the acute shortage of firefighters as the population declines and ages. Already, the fire brigade he belongs to is below the staffing level set by authorities, he says.

"If a forest fire breaks out when I'm in my 50s or 60s, and I'm the one gasping for breath while trying to fight it, I don't think we'll be able to stop it," he said.

Still, Haga grasps onto the hope that the firefighters' single-minded determination to save the community will not be wasted.

"The next generation might be inspired to join the volunteer fire brigade."

Varieties

NGO: Orangutan Uses Indonesia Canopy Bridge in 'World First'

Surya, a female Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), cradles her newborn on April 15, 2026 at the Madrid Zoo Aquarium, in Madrid. (Photo by Pierre-Philippe MARCOU / AFP)
Surya, a female Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), cradles her newborn on April 15, 2026 at the Madrid Zoo Aquarium, in Madrid. (Photo by Pierre-Philippe MARCOU / AFP)
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NGO: Orangutan Uses Indonesia Canopy Bridge in 'World First'

Surya, a female Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), cradles her newborn on April 15, 2026 at the Madrid Zoo Aquarium, in Madrid. (Photo by Pierre-Philippe MARCOU / AFP)
Surya, a female Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), cradles her newborn on April 15, 2026 at the Madrid Zoo Aquarium, in Madrid. (Photo by Pierre-Philippe MARCOU / AFP)

A Sumatran orangutan has been filmed for the first time crossing a man-made canopy bridge constructed to help the endangered animals bypass a tarred road on the Indonesian island, an NGO said Sunday.

Conservation group Tangguh Hutan Khatulistiwa, in partnership with the UK-based charity Sumatra Orangutan Society (SOS) and local authorities, built five canopy bridges in the North Sumatra province in 2024, after a road that serves as a lifeline for remote communities had been expanded, cutting through the rainforest.

The first Sumatran orangutan has now been caught on camera using one of the hanging bridges, SOS said in a statement sent to AFP Sunday.

While other species including gibbons and long-tailed macaques have also been spotted crossing there, "this is a world first for Sumatran orangutans," it added.

The bridge's use by the orangutan was a "huge milestone for conservation", SOS chief executive Helen Buckland said.

"These canopy bridges demonstrate that human development and wildlife don't have to be at odds. Sometimes, the simplest solutions are the most effective," Buckland added.

The road is an important social and economic link for communities in Sumatra's Pakpak Bharat district.

But it has also split a population of some 350 orangutans, SOS said.

Erwin Alamsyah Siregar, executive director at Tangguh Hutan Khatulistiwa, said that habitat fragmentation was "one of the greatest challenges in contemporary conservation".

He said he hoped canopy bridges would become a "standard feature" of infrastructure planning across the region.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies Sumatran orangutans, endemic to the island of Sumatra, as critically endangered.

Their decline is blamed on habitat loss and fragmentation as well as illegal hunting.

In the wild, orangutans are found only on Sumatra and the nearby island of Borneo, which is shared between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.