Oliver Stone Speaks Out In Support of Saudi Arabia At Red Sea Opening; Sharon Stone Hits The Red Carpet & Bruno Mars Heats Up The Party
02.12.2022 - 02:13
/ deadline.com
Olive Stone voiced support for Saudi Arabia at the opening on Thursday of the second edition of country’s Red Sea International Film Festival, which he is attending as president of the international jury.
The Oscar-winning director said Saudi Arabia was a country that is “misunderstood in the present world”.
“You see the changes that are coming here, the reforms. I think people who judge too harshly should come and visit this place and see for themselves,” he told the opening ceremony to cheers and applause.
Running December 1 to 10 in the port city of Jeddah, the Red Sea Festival unfolds five years to the week that news first broke that Saudi Arabia was lifting its 35-year cinema ban as part of sweeping reforms to open up society and the economy.
The reforms have been broadly welcomed by the international community but questions continue to swirl around the country’s human rights record.
Shekhar Kapur’s cross-cultural romance What’s Love Got to Do with It? opened the festival with Kapur, writer Jemima Khan, actors Shabana Azmi, Sajal Ali, Jeff Mirza and DJ and music producer Naughty Boy in attendance.
Executive producers Studiocanal’s Ron Halpern and Working Title’s Lucas Webb also made the trip to Jeddah for the screening.
The choice of What’s Love Got To Do With It? as the opening film was a daring one on many levels for its exploration of questions around religion, tradition, arranged marriage and family bonds, given the predominantly devout Muslim audience.
The opening ceremony also saw career awards handed out to Guy Richie, iconic Egyptian actress Yousra and Bollywood mega-star Shah Rukh Khan, who stopped by the Deadline Studio en route to the red carpet.
After the ceremony, Khan headed to a public open-air