Baz Luhrmann, internationally renowned writer, director and producer, will head the jury for The Red Sea International Film Festival’s (Red Sea IFF’s) 2023 edition that will take place from November 30 to December 9, in Jeddah, on the eastern shore of the Red Sea.

The legendary Academy Award nominated auteur is known for being a master storyteller across film, opera, theatre and music, with his most recent film Elvis (2022) becoming the second-highest grossing musical biopic of all time globally. Luhrmann’s critically acclaimed filmography includes double Academy Award-winning The Great Gatsby (2013), Strictly Ballroom (1992), Romeo + Juliet (1996), double Academy Award-winning Moulin Rouge (2001) and sweeping period epic Australia (2008).

Red Sea International Film Festival, which provides a platform for Arab filmmakers and industry professionals from around the world to connect, host feature and short film competitions, will showcase the highest achievements from a diverse range of filmmakers from the Arab region, Asia and Africa.

Seventeen feature films among the most compelling, unique and impressive work from the past year will be showcased, and the winners will be selected by jury headed by Luhrmann to receive the coveted Yusr Awards.

For 2022, the Golden Yusr for Best Feature Film was awarded to Hanging Gardens directed by Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji.

Mohammed Al Turki; CEO of the Red Sea IFF, said: “As we work towards our third edition, we are delighted to welcome legendary award-winning director Baz Luhrmann as the head of the Jury. Baz is a pioneer of pop culture with incredible versatility across the creative fields, and it’s a great honour to have him head our third edition jury presidency. We look forward to announcing the films and celebrating the outstanding filmmaking taking place across the Arab world, Asia and Africa.”

Luhrmann said: “As a child in the local cinema that we ran near the tiny country town where I grew up, I was mesmerised by the powerful historical and physical landscapes of Lawrence of Arabia. Since that time, I have had an abiding passion for the Arabian world, but after visiting Saudi Arabia, I felt truly inspired by the remarkable young filmmaking talent coming up across the region and to see how they are now capturing the attention of the global film community.

“It’s an honour to be presiding over this year's Red Sea International Film Festival’s Jury, alongside leading and emerging lights in the industry, and to be part of the evolution of change that is happening through cinema across the Arab region, Asia and Africa. Since the early days of my career, I have experienced the power of storytelling and festivals to open doors and forge bridges between artists and across cultures. I look forward to celebrating both emerging talent and the incredible established auteurs from the region in the vibrant, diverse and distinctive cinematic offering that the festival is becoming renowned for presenting in Jeddah.” – TradeArabia News Service