The Red Sea International Film Festival has announced that it will celebrate five distinguished actors and filmmakers as Red Sea honourees for the festival’s fifth edition, taking place from 4-13 December 2025.
In this first wave of honourees are Academy Award-winning French actor and filmmaker Juliette Binoche (In-I Motion, The Return), three-time Academy Award nominated French-Algerian director, screenwriter and producer Rachid Bouchareb (Days of Glory), two-time Academy Award-winning actor Sir Michael Caine (Alfie, The Dark Knight), Hong Kong director, producer and stunt choreographer Stanley Tong (A Legend), and three-time Academy Award-nominated actor Sigourney Weaver (Alien), who will be recognised for the “significant contributions they have made to cinema throughout their remarkable careers”.
Red Sea IFF also revealed that, as part of its commitment to supporting women in cinema, Binoche will be appearing as part of the Kering | Women in Motion programme, which includes the initiative’s first panel discussion held at Red Sea IFF this year.
Launched in 2015 at the Festival de Cannes, Kering | Women in Motion aims to highlight the talent and diversity of women, both in front of and behind the camera.
The panel discussion will feature Binoche alongside Saudi filmmaker Shahad Ameen and Palestinian-American actor and filmmaker Cherien Dabis, and will be moderated by Red Sea IFF’s director of international programmes Finn Halligan.
Kering will sponsor the Festival’s Women in Cinema Gala event, taking place on 5 December, too.
Tong and Weaver will also join the line-up of speakers for the festival’s ‘In Conversation With’ strand, which “welcomes cinematic luminaries from across the globe to participate in insightful discussions about their craft, inspirations and wealth of experiences”.
Faisal Baltyuor, CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation, said: “Each of this year’s Red Sea honourees represents the very best of global film – artists whose work has inspired audiences around the world and added to the fabric of cinematic culture.
“We’re looking forward to celebrating their extraordinary contributions during our fifth edition of the festival this year and fostering conversations that will offer meaningful insight and inspiration to our filmmakers, our audiences, and the region’s rapidly evolving film community.”
Shivani Pandya Malhotra, managing director of the Red Sea Film Festival, added: “We’re delighted to be hosting a Jeddah edition of Kering | Women in Motion – an initiative which aligns perfectly with our foundation’s continued commitment to female creatives both in front of, and behind, the lens.
“Over 400 women and counting have been supported across our various strands since the inception of this organisation, and to mark the fifth edition with this partnership is a reinforcement of that key focus.”
