Ferrari_13394 (2)

Source: Neon. Photo Lorenzo Sisti.

‘Ferrari’

Michael Mann’s Ferrari will receive its MENA premiere as the closing night film of the 3rd Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF), which has also unveiled the titles for its International Spectacular strand.

The hotly-tipped awards contender will close the festival on December 7 in the port city of Jeddah.

The film, starring Adam Driver as iconic car manufacturer Enzo Ferrari, received the backing of the Red Sea Film Foundation – the festival’s parent body – earlier this year

It received its world premiere in Competition at Venice in August and also closed the New York Film Festival in October.

Mohammed Al-Turki, CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation said: “This exhilarating film has been close to the festival’s heart, as it has been supported by our Red Sea International Film Financing; a vehicle for us to champion acclaimed storytellers and create the opportunity for cultural exchange.”

The festival, which runs November 30 to December 9, also revealed the line-up for its International Spectacular section, which will screen several high-profile titles for the first time in the Arab world.

They include Sofia Coppola’s biopic Priscilla, Ava Duvernay’s drama Origin, Yann Mounir Demange’s short Dammi, starring Riz Ahmed.

Further titles include auteur John Woo’s Silent Night; Léa Domenach’s Bernadette (The President’s Wife), starring Catherine Deneuve starring French first lady Bernadette Chirac; Aardman animation Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget; and Hayao Miyazaki’s animation The Boy and the Heron, which has been set as the public closing film. All are MENA premieres.

Red Sea IFF previously announced Saudi fantasy feature HWJN as its opening night film and the titles for its Competition and Arab Spectacular strands.