The management of the inaugural edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival (12-21 March) announced the launch of the production of Untitled Omnibus Feature, an anthology film which will consist of five short films made by Saudi women directors.

The five directors are Hind Alfahhad, Jowaher Alamri, Noor Alameer, Sara Mesfer, and Fatima Al-Banawi, who will be supervised in scriptwriting on the film's portmanteau by award-winning Palestinian filmmaker Suha Arraf.

The Untitled Omnibus Feature will incorporate varied settings while the storylines will "display the diversity of the Saudi contemporary film scene, with the directors hailing from across the kingdom and the films set in cities, including Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, and Riyadh," the Red Sea International Film Festival's website reveals.

"The screening is a component of the festival’s broad programme of Saudi content, curated to encourage international audiences to encounter fresh work from the kingdom."

The project is produced and funded by the Red Sea International Film Festival, and produced by Jeddah-based production house Cinepoetics Pictures.

Scheduled to take place between 12 and 21 March, 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 the local audiences, and supporting Saudi and international filmmakers while nurturing the cultural scene.  

During its inaugural editions, the Egyptian director Khairy Beshara will be honoured.