The Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has revealed the four movies for this year’s Treasures strand, showcasing “timeless classics,” including crime thriller Heat by director Michael Mann, starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight and Val Kilmer.
The film will be screened alongside “three meticulously restored works in collaboration with Egyptian Media Production City,” fest organizers said Monday.
Heat “redefined the genre with its intricate narrative and electrifying performances by Robert De Niro and Al Pacino,” organizers said.
“With Hussein Fawzi’s Bread and Salt, Smile the Photo Comes Out Better, starring the RSIFF honoree and Egyptian film legend Mona Zaki and directed by Sherif Arafa, and Ali Badrakhan’s Shafika and Metwali, personally selected by Mona Zaki, the festival is honoring Egypt’s rich cinematic legacy that has inspired generations of directors, alongside new Egyptian voices and projects across other programming strands,” they said. “The festival is continuing its mission to highlight the great heritage of Arab cinema through the restoration of these three masterpieces, in parallel with the dynamism and vitality experienced by Egyptian cinema.”
Said Antoine Khalife, director of Arab Program and Film Classics: “In keeping with our focus on Egyptian cinema throughout our programming this year, we’re particularly proud to be showcasing a selection of Egyptian masterpieces in our Treasures strand that showcase the incredible history of film from this country. Female producers and actresses have always played a fundamental role in Egyptian cinema, and through these three restored films, we can see stars like Naima Akef, Souad Hosny, Mona Zaki and Laila Eloui in all their splendor, directed by great filmmakers in roles showing the extent of their performance.”
And he added: “Then to have Heat, one of the greatest police thrillers of all time continue our efforts to show Saudi audiences all-time classics on the big screen, the way directors intended.”
Here is the lineup of the 2024 RSIFF Treasures program:
BREAD AND SALT
Hussein Fawzi
Both Buthaina and Saber live in the neighborhood of “Bread and Salt,” which Buthaina leaves when she goes to work for Bahjat Bey, but returns to after her father dies. Following her return Haji Bhansi takes care of her but Buthaina begins to take a wrong path, different from the ways of the neighborhood. She loves Saber who begins to criticize her actions, but she’s forced to flee the lane and work in a nightclub.
HEAT
Michael Mann
An obsessive Los Angeles detective hunts down an obsessive ruthless thief, but are they really that different?
SMILE THE PHOTO COMES OUT BETTER
Sherif Arafa
Sayed Gharib, a photographer, migrates from his hometown to Cairo in search of a place close to Qasr Al-Aini Medical School, where his daughter Tahani has enrolled. At university, Tahani, the daughter, clashes with the aristocratic society and develops a romantic relationship with the son of businessman Tarek Ezz El-Din.
SHAFIKA AND METWALI
Ali Badrakhan
When Metwalli returns from working on the Suez Canal, he discovers his sister in a shameful liaison with the district chief’s son.
The fourth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival will run in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from Dec. 5 to 4, 2024.
The festival is supported by principal sponsors: Visit Saudi, MBC, and Genesis Mohamad Yusuf AlNaghi; official sponsors: Film AlUla, SRMG, Chopard, SAUDIA, and TikTok; strategic sponsors of the Red Sea Souk: NEOM and Cultural Development Fund; and support sponsors Nova, Mermaid and Telfaz.
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