JEDDAH: The Red Sea International Film Festival opened the door for a generation of Saudis interested in film by enriching their knowledge about the industry and helping them access expertise from around the globe.
It was not just the film screenings that made RSIFF a special festival; it also provided an opportunity for exchanges of knowledge and expertise through masterclasses and talks by superstars and the chance to connect with production companies.
RSIFF’s “Talent Days,” a two-day program of events on the sidelines of the festival, provided an opportunity for Saudi youth to gain insight into taking their projects to the next level, covering everything from production to financing.
The curator of the Talent Days program, Rana Jarbou, a Saudi film director, told Arab News that the aim of the “Talent Days” was to help push, encourage and inspire emerging filmmakers and amateurs. “They could be filmmakers that have made it already, it could be someone who just made one short film, or it could be someone who was in engineering and they just decided get into the film industry,” she said.
“Talent days is to encourage and give these people access and allow them to feel like they can get their foot in the door through this program, through the access to the professionals in the industry.”
The events included workshops, special screenings, panels, keynote speakers and masterclasses led by industry experts sharing their experience and giving updates on film production, financing and distribution.
Jarbou explained how such programs would facilitate industry expertise. “When talents come in, they come to attend panels discussions or master classes or workshops, or the networking session. They feel like they can approach these industry experts who are otherwise unapproachable — they’re just someone behind the screen, so there’s nothing like the personal, touch and connection, it makes a huge difference.”
As the industry is still young, Jarbooa is keen to show the younger generation of Saudis how lucky they are and how the industry is counting on them, with the support they will be receiving compared to the previous generation of filmmakers.
“I wanted to mix the old and the new. I wanted people to have access to the recent past. There was a panel with Talashi, a film collective founded in 2008. They made short films together when there was no industry. Their films screened regionally, and they won awards. I felt like it was important for the new generation to know about that recent past, and to know that now you have so much support, you have so many opportunities, the doors are open for you and they weren’t open for this collective 15 years ago. They were still able to make short films with depth and a spirit of experimentation. I felt that the Talashi story could inspire emerging filmmakers to form collectives and build a community and culture around film.”
“They achieved it without support, so you can imagine what you can do with support,” she said.
Jarbou curated the program based on criteria that would give participants a comprehensive exposure to the field, including film criticism sessions. “We can’t cover everything; I tried to pick a few topics that gave them exposure and I also focused on the less likely topics people would choose for such a procedure program. I wanted to give exposure to filmmakers, distributors, producers and critics, who are perhaps not as visible or vocal as others in the field.”
“If you want to get your foot in the door, you must be ready for rejection. You have to be ready to hear people not liking your choices, and there’s a way to do it,” Jarbou said.
“I found it was important to discuss film criticism, so if you want to get into this industry, great, but you need to be ready for being criticized, and being able to take it because I see how sensitive people are in the art world. And it’s the same in the filmmaking world.”
“It allows them to understand that there are tools, there’s a vocabulary for this process, and you have to hear people’s feedback.”
Over the two days, experts answered questions on technical issues, post-production, the business of filmmaking, the art of nonfiction storytelling, writing for TV, cinema and the Internet, and how it differs from writing for a YouTube channel.
As technology advances, people turn to newer ways of watching or viewing content on a screen. Many young people use YouTube and Internet streaming to watch movies instead of going to the cinema. As both are different platforms, they have other appeals and standards.
“Distribution platforms are changing, they’re reconfiguring, especially after COVID, we’re relying more on the streaming,” Jarbou said.
RSIFF is also planning to have workshops throughout the year, including masterclass events to keep this kind of support going as part of the Red Sea Film Festival.
“Talent Days is not a two-day program, it’s part of a RSIFF vision to support, encourage, and inspire upcoming filmmakers, and I think that it’s essential in building the film industry,” she said.