During the 76th Cannes Film Festival, Spain was the guest of honor at the Film Market, but one of the countries that caught the eye was Saudi Arabia, which arrived with eight financed films. Despite criticism of the human rights situation in the oil-rich country, its presence at Cannes did not generate much controversy.
The Red Sea Film Festival, presented by Saudi Arabia last year, was present again at Cannes, under the direction of producer Mohammed al Turki. Last year, Human Rights Watch accused the Saudis of using festivals like Cannes to “clean up their image,” just as they do with sporting events. This year, however, the Saudi presence did not generate much controversy on the Croisette.
Among the eight films financed was “Jeanne du Barry,” directed by Maïwenn, a director with Algerian roots, which was the festival’s opening film and has a feminist focus. Other films funded include “Les filles d’Olfa” by Tunisian Kaouther Ben Hania, which competed for the Palme d’Or; “Augure” by Baloji; “Goodbye Julia” by Sudanese filmmaker Mohamed Kordofani; “Inchallah un fils,” the first Jordanian film selected at Cannes; and “Kadib Abyad” by Asmae el Moudir.
In two years, the Red Sea Festival Fund has contributed to the financing of 168 films. The head of the fund, Emad Iskandar, says the Saudis are proud of this success and that as long as they have the resources, they want to serve the region and take advantage of it to learn. Despite the criticism, Iskandar believes these are unfounded accusations and calls for patience, as Saudi Arabia is a young country, barely 90 years old.
Saudi Arabia not only finances films but also presents itself as a film shooting destination. The country is looking to increase its visibility in the global film industry and is showing ambitions in this regard. Another country in the region, Qatar, also invests massively in cinema and financed 13 films at Cannes, three of which competed at the festival.
The presence of these countries in the cinematic arena can be interpreted as a way of presenting themselves as friendly countries, just as they do in the sports arena. Saudi Arabia and Qatar seek to be liked and increase their visibility without losing their identity.