The fifth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival spotlights 11 short films from across the Arab world, celebrating a new generation of regional filmmakers.

Scene Now Saudi

Oct 12, 2025

Eleven Arab Short Films Competing in Red Sea Film Festival 2025

The Red Sea International Film Festival has announced the short film line-up for the official competition of its fifth edition, featuring 11 titles from Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, and the UAE.

This year’s selection highlights a new generation of Arab filmmakers, capturing the region’s shifting cinematic landscape through stories that explore identity, society, and belonging.

Screenings will take place from December 4th to the 13th in Jeddah’s historic Al-Balad district.

Coyotes

By Said Zagha Palestine After a long night shift, a Palestinian surgeon’s drive home through a desolate West Bank road turns into a life-altering journey.

Empty Lands

By Karim Eldin El Alfy Egypt When a loyal officer and his wife move into a government-assigned house, they uncover traces of a displaced family’s

Quo vadis, Meryem!

By Amine Zeriouh

Morocco

After visiting a dying friend, a woman’s attempt to mend her marriage unearths old wounds and repressed family tensions.

Umbilical Cord

By Ahmed Hasan Ahmed

UAE

A poetic journey through anxiety and hope as a man races against time on a morning charged with unanswered calls.

With the Wind

By Ines Lehaire

Morocco

An ageing florist closes his shop and sets off to give away his final bouquets, rekindling emotions he thought were lost.

Beyond the Mind

By Lanya Nooralddin

Iraq

Through the story of Mekhak, a loyal donkey left behind by his family, unfolds a poignant allegory of devotion, loss, and rejection.

Opening Ceremony

By Hussain Almutlaq

Saudi Arabia

Chosen to cut the ribbon at a cultural centre’s opening, a nine-year-old boy must secretly deliver an envelope for his mother, torn between innocence and duty.

The Sea Remembers My Name

By Hussein Hossam

Egypt

When one twin drowns, the surviving brother takes on his identity in a desperate attempt to regain his father’s affection.

What If They Bomb Here Tonight?

By Samir Syriani

Lebanon

As the threat of an airstrike looms, a Lebanese couple spend a sleepless night paralysed by fear and the question of whether to flee or stay.

She’s Swimming

By Liliane Rahal

Lebanon

In the wake of her cousin’s death in a plane crash, a filmmaker turns to nature to navigate grief and find closure.

Irtizaz

By Sara Balghonaim

Saudi Arabia

At a funeral, a young divorcée finds herself caught in a quiet battle for validation in a sharp reflection on gender, class, and social expectation.

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