Review: ‘Home Sweet Home Alone’ party movie leaves a bitter taste

DJEDDAH: The Red Sea International Film Festival has announced the programming of films for its International Spectacular section.

The Selection is a curated collection of some of the year’s most defining stories from the voices of iconic and award-winning international film directors. The eight films in this section will be Arab premieres, presenting the best of international cinema to the Arab world.

Edouard Waintrop, artistic director of the festival, which will take place from December 6 to 15, said: to the Arab world. The stories told in these films, more than half of which are women filmmakers, present a vibrant and diverse range of perspectives, and we are delighted to be able to bring them all to the festival. “

Kaleem Aftab, director of international programming for the festival, said: “The selection of films presented at the International Show are some of the most dynamic and inspiring stories being told this year. Filmmakers from all over the world share their stories, some deeply personal, others surreal and fantastic, but all of them have a profound impact on the audiences who watch them.

The showcase includes “Ennio”, a documentary about one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, Ennio Morricone. Directed by BAFTA-winning screenwriter, director and actor Giuseppe Tornatore, the film will cover the unforgettable career of the musical maestro, who won two Academy Awards and composed over 500 film soundtracks.

Tornatore interviews the legend himself, who had a long-standing association with the director, having composed the music for 13 Tornatore feature films, including his Oscar-winning “Cinema Paradiso”.

“Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon”, written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Ana Lily Amirpour, is a fantasy thriller, telling the story of a girl with unusual powers who escapes from a mental asylum and tries to get by alone in New Orleans. . Starring Jeon Jong-seo, Kate Hudson, Craig Robinson and Ed Skrein, the film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival this year.

Franco-Algerian director Yamina Benguigui’s latest film “Sisters”, with Isabelle Adjani, tells the story of three Franco-Algerian sisters: Zorah, Nohra and Djamila. For 30 years, they have lived in the hope of finding their brother, Rheda, kidnapped by their father, and hidden in newly decolonized Algeria. When they learn that their father is dying, the three sisters decide to go to Algeria to take their last opportunity to have him reveal the whereabouts of their brother.

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut, “The Lost Girl,” stars Oscar winner Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson and Jessie Buckley in the film adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s novel. The psychological drama tells the story of a woman on vacation, who meets another woman and her young family, sparking memories of her own motherhood. The film had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, with Gyllenhaal winning the Golden Osella for Best Screenplay for his adaptation of the novel.

Written and directed by Oscar nominee Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast” is a poignant autobiographical story of love, laughter and loss in a boy’s childhood, amid the music and social uproar of the late 1960s. 1960s in Northern Ireland. The highly anticipated cinematic tribute to Branagh’s hometown is beautifully shot in black and white and stars Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Jude Hill and Ciarán Hinds. The film won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The Spanish comedy “The Good Boss” was written and directed by Fernando León de Aranoa. Located on the industrial outskirts of a small provincial town, Basculas Blanco, played by Javier Bardem, has been manufacturing industrial scales for major retail outlets for weighing vehicles and livestock for decades. The good boss likes to tell his workers that Lady Justice has Blanco’s scales in her hand. The film premiered at this year’s San Sebastian International Film Festival and was chosen as Spain’s nomination for Best International Feature at the 94th Academy Awards.

“You Resemble Me” is the debut film by award-winning Egyptian-American director and journalist Dina Amer. The film, co-written by Amer and Omar Mullick, tells a story of cultural and intergenerational trauma, addressing one of the darkest issues of our time and deconstructing it into an intimate story about family, love, brotherhood. and belonging. After the separation of two sisters on the outskirts of Paris, the eldest, Hasna, struggles to find her identity, which leads to a choice that shocks the world. The film had its world premiere in the Venice Days section of this year’s Venice International Film Festival.

Based on a true story, Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor plays Clarice Cliff, a notable figure who revolutionized the British pottery industry in the 1920s. Sky’s original film “The Color Room”, directed by Claire McCarthy, is a fabulous period drama showing how Cliff battled through thick and thin in a man-ruled world to establish herself as a pioneering ceramicist, impressing an eccentric factory owner (Matthew Goode) with her ingenuity. Director Claire McCarthy makes a brilliant mark by highlighting the battles women have had to win to be heard in the workplace in a story of talent, determination and perseverance.