The Red Sea International Film Festival has unveiled details of its Treasures of the Red Sea (Konoz al-Bahr al-Ahmar) program for its fifth edition, celebrating six timeless masterpieces from Arab and world cinema — including the Kingdom’s first-ever live musical screening of a silent film.
The festival, set to run from December 4th to 13th, 2025, in Jeddah’s historic Al-Balad district, continues its mission to honor cinematic heritage and revive classics for new audiences.
A Tribute to Egyptian Cinema’s Golden Era
This year’s Red Sea Treasures spotlights restored gems that have added to the history of Arab cinema — with a special tribute to Egyptian film heritage through two rare works by pioneering director Ahmed Badrakhan, starring the legendary Umm Kulthum. The films Aida (1942) and Nashid al-Amal (The Song of Hope, 1937) have been meticulously restored in 4K by the Red Sea Film Foundation in collaboration with Egypt’s Media Production City, and will be screened in their fully remastered versions for the first time ever.
Rediscovering Umm Kulthum on the Silver Screen
In Aida, Umm Kulthum plays a farmer’s daughter whose extraordinary voice transcends class barriers, turning her journey into a story of love, ambition, and triumph over societal limits — a reflection of her own rise to stardom in Arab cinema. Meanwhile, Nashid al-Amal tells the poignant story of a woman torn between her passion for art and the pressures of society, mirroring Umm Kulthum’s real-life struggle to assert her voice and identity through music.
Together, the two films offer a rare window into the early years of a cultural icon whose art continues to define the region’s collective memory.
WE ALSO SAID THIS: Don’t Miss… Walking Through The Umm Kulthum Exhibition At Aisha Fahmy Palace
