THE RED SEA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES SPIKE LEE AS PRESIDENT OF JURY FOR 2024 EDITION

The Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) announced today that Academy
Award®-winning filmmaker Spike Lee (Malcom X, BlacKkKlansman)  will preside over the Festival’s Red Sea
Features Competition Jury this year. The fourth edition of the festival will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
from December 5 to 14, in Jeddah’s Old Town of Al Balad
Spike Lee is a graduate of Morehouse College Class of 1979 with B.A. in Mass Communications. He also is
graduate of the Numero Uno, NYU Graduate Film School, classmate of Ernest Dickerson and Ang Lee – 1982
also a tenured film professor and artistic director there. Spike’s wife/partner is Ms. Tonya Lewis Lee, an award
winning documentary filmmaker. They have a daughter, Satchel Lewis Lee and a son, Jackson Lewis Lee. Both
are also artists. Most recently Mr.Lee received the National Medal of Arts and Humanities from President Joe
Biden. Spike was also inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame as a SuperFan alongside Jack
Nicholson and Billy Crystal
The Red Sea: Features competition will showcase the highest achievements from a diverse range of filmmakers
from the Arab region, Asia and Africa. 16 features have been selected and showcase the most compelling
unique and impressive work from the past year, with the winners being selected by Lee and the highly esteemed
Jury to receive the coveted Yusr Awards. For 2023, the Golden Yusr for Best Feature Film was awarded to In
Flames, directed by Zarrar Khan. Lee will also participate in the Festival’s In Conversation strand, which
welcomes industry luminaries from all over the world to share insights and have meaningful discussions about
their practice, passions and stories
Jomana Al Rashid, Chairwoman of the Red Sea Film Foundation said: “Looking towards our fourth edition, we’re
honoured to welcome the legendary Spike Lee as our President of Jury for the festival this year. Spike is a
pioneering director whose iconic work has made a lasting impact on both film as a medium and culture at large
His energy, incisiveness and genuine championing of creativity and new voices makes him an ideal fit to lead our
jury for this year – we look forward to him engaging with the burgeoning talent in our competition line up
Spike Lee added: “Having been lucky enough to experience first-hand the incredible filmmaking, atmosphere and
creativity at the Red Sea International Film Festival in 2022, it's a privilege to be returning this year as President
of the Jury. Alongside creating a melting pot for cultures to come together in celebration of our important art-form
it's vital to continue to platform young and emerging filmmakers who are finding their voice in the industry, and it's
exciting to see first-time directors from across the Arab region, Asia and Africa as part of the Competition lineup
this year. I'm looking forward to diving in to the programme and making what I'm sure will be some very tough
decisions alongside the leading luminaries on the jury
The Festival is supported by Principal Sponsors: Visit Saudi, MBC and Genesis AlNaghi; Official Sponsors
TikTok, Saudia, Film AlUla, Chopard and SRMG; Strategic Sponsors of the Red Sea Souk: NEOM and Cultural
Development Fund; and Support Sponsor Nova