Sean Baker named jury president of Red Sea’s feature competition

The Red Sea International Film Festival has named Oscar-winning filmmaker Sean Baker as the president of its features jury for its fifth edition, which runs from December 4-13 in Jeddah.

The Red Sea features competition spans 16 films from Asia and Africa, including the Arab world, which vie for the festival’s Yusr Awards.

Baker’s latest film Anora won five Oscars including best picture and best director, and his credits include The Florida Project and Tangerine.

Last year’s Golden Yusr for best feature went to Red Path, directed by Lotfi Achour. The festival’s 2024 jury was headed by Spike Lee.

Baker said: “I’ve long admired how the festival champions bold, diverse voices from across the globe, and this year’s Feature Competition showcases some of the most daring and exciting new voices from the Arab world, Africa and Asia. Festivals like Red Sea IFF give independent films a vital platform and connect them with a global audience, I’m thrilled to be part of that celebration of cinema and look forward to engaging with the incredible titles in the competition line-up.”

Faisal Baltyuor, CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation, said: “Sean Baker is a trailblazing director whose dedication to championing authentic and meaningful storytelling through film is truly inspiring…We are very proud to be bringing him on board to lead our features jury this year, fresh off his record-breaking success at the 2025 Academy Awards for our very special 5th edition.”

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