Sudanese drama premieres at the Red Sea International Film Festival

The fourth edition Red Sea International Film Festival is underway in the Saudi Arabia port city of Jeddah, drawing audiences eager to explore unique storytelling from around the globe.

Over 120 films from 81 countries will be featured in this year’s line-up, with 16 films in the Features Competition.

One of the films to premiere at the festival is “My Driver and I”, the Sudanese drama about the bond between a driver and a young Saudi woman he chauffeurs.

The film’s lead actor, Mustafa Shehata, described the plot as deeply personal and emotional.

“The film tells the story of an immigrant taxi driver and how he treats a young customer as if she were his daughter. He also has a daughter back home in Sudan and has not returned to his country for a long time,” he says.

Salma and Gamar are very different in terms age and culture, yet over the course of the ten years during which he drives her every day, they form a bond.

“It’s about how the girl’s parents trust him with their daughter, while the father is away with work and her mother is busy doing whatever.”

Saudi Arabia is trying to expand its influence in the fields of film, sport, and entertainment and since the film festival’s launch in 2021, it has attracted major global talent.

This year, the event will welcome Academy Award winners Viola Davis and Spike Lee, alongside Bollywood icons Aamir Khan and Ranbir Kapoor, strengthening its growing reputation on the international film circuit.

But critics suggest that events like the festival are intended to distract people from concerns over the country’s human rights record.

The festival runs until 14 December.