Jeddah, Saudi Arabia — December 4, 2025: The fifth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF 2025) opened yesterday in Jeddah’s historic Al Balad district, marking a landmark moment for Pakistan as the national flag proudly flew at the festival for the very first time. Representing the country on this global stage are three acclaimed creative icons — Atiqa Odho, Tauseeq Haider, and Shahzad Nawaz — who will also participate in an exclusive panel discussion spotlighting Pakistan’s evolving cultural and cinematic footprint.
Held from December 4–13, 2025, the festival commenced with the world premiere of Rowan Athale’s Giant, a biographical drama on British-Yemeni boxing legend Prince Naseem Hamed. The opening signaled RSIFF’s mission of elevating powerful stories from the Arab world, Africa, and Asia through an international platform.
RSIFF 2025 opened with a dynamic programme featuring 111 films, including 38 world premieres from over 45 countries. This year’s Competition Jury is chaired by Oscar-winning filmmaker Sean Baker, with an impressive line-up of titles from the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and beyond.
The festival’s highly anticipated Red Sea Souk also launched its industry programme, unveiling the juries for the Souk Project Market. The Souk features 28 awards totaling nearly $700,000, supporting Works-in-Progress, Development Projects, and Series from emerging and established filmmakers across the Arab world, Africa, and Asia.
Key jurors for the 2025 Souk include international film leaders such as
Abdulrahman Khawj, Eliott Khayat, Meiske Taurisia, Mahdi Fleifel, Rungano Nyoni, Paolo Bertolin, David Davoli, Hana Alomair, and Jihan El Tahri.
The Souk Awards will be presented on December 10, 2025.
Now in its fifth year, RSIFF has rapidly emerged as the Middle East’s most influential festival, contributing significantly to the region’s creative economy. This edition places special focus on audience engagement, youth filmmaking initiatives, expanded industry networking, and a stronger position in the global awards season.
Pakistan’s delegation will also be participating in a panel discussion on the 9th. Their presence at RSIFF ’25, complete with our country’s flag flying high at the ceremony for the first time, and the panel discussion, marks an important cultural milestone, celebrating national talent on one of the world’s fastest-growing cinematic stages. Through their presence and panel discourse, Atiqa Odho, Shahzad Nawaz, and Tauseeq Haider will surely affirm Pakistan’s dedication to storytelling, creativity, and cross-cultural collaboration.
The delegation appreciated the efforts of Noshien Ahmed Waseem of Hive Works, who has been instrumental in facilitating the delegation’s participation in the festival.
