Jeddah, October (پاکستان پوائنٹ نیوز 16 اكتوبر 2025ء) The competition features 11 international short films from Asian and African countries, including South Africa, Malaysia, China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kyrgyzstan, Chad, India, Georgia, Kenya, and, for the first time, Myanmar.
The selected films explore diverse themes such as emigration, mental illness, alienation, and historical reckoning, offering a wide spectrum of human experiences through innovative dramatic, documentary, and experimental forms that reflect the richness of global cinema.
This year’s edition features remarkable female representation, with eight female directors participating — a new record for the festival. The program also includes five world premieres in this category, all competing for the Yusr Awards, which will be presented at the closing ceremony in celebration of outstanding cinematic achievements.
The festival witnessed unprecedented interest in the international short film category this year, with more than 840 submissions from Asia and Africa, and a notable increase in entries from East and Southeast Asia following the opening of submissions to those regions last year.
This diversity in participation further enhances the Red Sea International Film Festival's position as a global platform that brings together filmmakers and creators from different cultures and highlights emerging cinematic voices that tell stories reflecting the human experience through innovative artistic visions.
