Marwan Hamed to lecture in RSIFF Seminar in Jeddah

CAIRO - 30 October 2019: The Red Sea International Film Festival will host Egyptian director Marwan Hamed at a seminar on Nov. 3, where he will speak about the art of creative story writing.

During the masterclass, the prominent director will also speak about the various film funding mechanisms, and the production of commercially successful Arab films that also succeed on the artistic level. The seminar will be held at the headquarters of the Saudi Art Council in Jeddah at 8 p.m.

Such seminars come as a prelude to the launch of the Red Sea International Film Festival's first edition that will kick off in March in Jeddah on the coast of the Red Sea. The event is led by Mahmoud Sabbagh, the festival's director.

Marwan Hamed is an Egyptian film director and producer with over 20 years of experience. He produced and directed some of the most successful films in the Egyptian cinema.

The prominent director began his career with the short film "Laila" in 2001, inspired by the legendary novel writer Youssef Idris. The film received wide critical acclaim and was followed by his feature film "Emaret Yacoubian" (The Yacoubian Building) in 2006 that achieved unprecedented success at the time of its release. The director continued to receive wide critical acclaim, in addition to several awards in 2014.

Hamed directed the "Blue Elephant" sequel. The film achieved the highest revenues in the history of Egyptian cinema; surpassing LE 100 Million.

The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation is the first Saudi, independent, nonprofit organization with an official mandate to promote film culture. The foundation champions the Kingdom’s burgeoning cinema and cultural scene by nurturing audience engagement, supporting filmmakers, and strengthening the film industry.

The first edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival will run from March 12 – March 21, 2020