Oscar-winning American director Oliver Stone will head the International Competition jury of the inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival which will take place between 12 and 21 March in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The festival’s main competition will grant the winners with numerous awards and trophies: Golden Yusr for Best Feature Film (trophy and $100,000), as well as Silver Yusrs for Best Director (trophy and $50,000), Best Screenplay (trophy), Best Actor (trophy), Best Actress (trophy) and Best Cinematic Contribution (trophy).

The Yusr Awards are named after the black coral formations found in the Red Sea off Jeddah’s coast. The results will be announced during the awards ceremony on 19 March.

“We are most pleased to have Oliver Stone leading our Jury,” said festival director Mahmoud Sabbagh in the official press release.

"Oliver Stone is behind some of the all-time great pieces of cinema: Penning Scarface and Midnight Express, directing Platoon and Natural Born Killers, to name a few. He cherishes originality, craft and creativity, values at the heart of the Red Sea FF. For a new breed of filmmakers competing for the Yusr awards, his watchful eye and sense of authorship will be inspirational," he added.

Stone won Best Director for Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Midnight Express.

The inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival is organised by the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation, being the first Saudi independent non-profit organisation with an official mandate to promote film culture.

Among the foundation's aims is to shed light on Saudi cinema, promoting international cinema to local audiences, and supporting Saudi and international filmmakers while nurturing the cultural scene. 

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