‘Red Path’ Wins Top Award at Red Sea Fest; Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Viola Davis Get Honored
Tunisian director Lotfi Achour’s Red Path won the Yusr Award for best competition film and the best director honor at the fourth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia during its Thursday evening awards ceremony that also saw Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Viola Davis being honored.
The Silver Yusr Feature Film Award went to Mahdi Fleifel’s To A Land Unknown, a drama about young Palestinians caught in an eternal state of exile. Little Jaffna, starring and directed by Lawrence Valin, was honored with the AlUla Audience Award International Film, with Hobal from director Abdulaziz Alshlahei getting the Saudi film audience award.
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“Ashraf, a shepherd boy working with his teenage cousin in impoverished northern Tunisia faces the unimaginable when Islamic State terrorists set on them and behead his cousin Nizar in front of him,” says a synopsis for Red Path. “Ashraf has no choice but to take the head back to his family, who can do nothing: the terrorists are a constant threat, while the police are indifferent to the problems of poor herders. Nizar’s parents fixate on trying to recover his body for a proper burial, but Ashraf has no way of dealing with his trauma, clinging to the visions he has of Nizar during which he can talk to his cousin’s ghost.”
This year’s RSIFF jury president was Spike Lee.
“I am humbled to be recognized at the Red Sea International Film Festival, a celebration of storytelling that transcends language, borders and cultural divides. I have always believed in the universal power of entertainment to bring people together, and I applaud the Red Sea team for their commitment to showcasing the incredible talent and diversity of stories being told around the world—not just within Hollywood or Bollywood but far beyond,” said Chopra Jonas on Wednesday when her honor was unveiled.
She is among a slew of big stars who appeared during the fourth edition of RSIFF, including Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Yeoh, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Olivia Wilde, Emily Blunt, Nick Jonas, and Eva Longoria.
Check out the full RSIFF 2024 award winners below.
Golden Yusr Best Feature Film
Red Path
Director Lotfi Achour
Silver Yusr Feature Film
To A Land Unknown
Mahdi Fleifel
Yusr Best Director
Lotfi Achour (Red Path)
Yusr Jury Prize
Seeking Haven For Mr. Rambo
Khaled Mansour
Yusr Best Actor
Mahmoud Bakri
To A Land Unknown
Yusr Best Actress
Mariam Sherif
Snow White
Yusr Best Screenplay
Songs of Adam
Oday Rasheed
Yusr Cinematic Achievement
To Kill A Mongolian Horse
Xiaoxuan Jiang
Golden Yusr Best Short Film
Hatch
Alireza Kazemipour, Panta Mosleh
Silver Yusr Short Film
Alazar
Beza Hailu Lemma
Short Special Mention
Children of Barzagh
Ahmed Khattab
Other Awards
Asharq Best Documentary
State of Silence
Director Santiago Maza
Chopard Emerging Saudi Talent
Roula Dakheelallah (My Driver & I)
AlUla Audience Award Saudi Film
Hobal
Abdulaziz Alshlahei
AlUla Audience Award International Film
Little Jaffna
Lawrence Valin
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