Baz Luhrmann Named Jury President of Pink Sea Movie Competition in Saudi Arabia

The Pink Sea Worldwide Movie Competition (Pink Sea IFF) has unveiled that author, director and producer Baz Luhrmann (Elvis, Moulin Rouge) will preside over the pageant’s options competitors jury this yr.

The third version of the pageant will happen Nov. 30-Dec. 9 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on the Japanese shore of the Pink Sea.

Within the fest’s Pink Sea: Options competitors, 17 options will likely be chosen to “showcase essentially the most compelling, distinctive and spectacular work from the previous yr, with the winners being chosen by Luhrmann and the extremely esteemed jury to obtain the coveted Yusr Awards,” organizers mentioned. In 2022, the Golden Yusr was awarded to Hanging Gardens, directed by Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji.

“As a toddler within the native cinema that we ran close to the tiny nation city the place I grew up, I used to be mesmerized by the highly effective historic and bodily landscapes of Lawrence of Arabia,” mentioned Luhrmann. “Since that point, I’ve had an abiding ardour for the Arabian world, however after visiting Saudi Arabia, I felt actually impressed by the outstanding younger filmmaking expertise arising throughout the area and to see how they’re now capturing the eye of the worldwide movie group.”

He added: “It’s an honor to be presiding over this yr’s Pink Sea Worldwide Movie Competition’s Jury, alongside main and rising lights within the trade, and to be a part of the evolution of change that’s taking place by cinema throughout the Arab area, Asia and Africa. For the reason that early days of my profession, I’ve skilled the facility of storytelling and festivals to open doorways and forge bridges between artists and throughout cultures. I sit up for celebrating each rising expertise and the unbelievable established auteurs from the area within the vibrant, various and distinctive cinematic providing that the Competition is turning into famend for presenting in Jeddah.”

Stated Mohammed Al Turki; CEO of the Pink Sea IFF: “As we work in the direction of our third version, we’re delighted to welcome legendary award-winning director Baz Luhrmann as the pinnacle of the Jury. Baz is a pioneer of popular culture with unbelievable versatility throughout the inventive fields, and it’s an excellent honor to have him head our third version jury presidency. We sit up for saying the movies and celebrating the excellent filmmaking going down throughout the Arab world, Asia and Africa.”

Calling Luhrmann a “legendary Academy Award-nominated auteur,” organizers spotlight that he’s recognized for “being a grasp storyteller throughout movie, opera, theatre and music, along with his most up-to-date movie Elvis (2022) turning into the second-highest-grossing musical biopic of all time globally,” in keeping with an announcement. “Luhrmann’s critically acclaimed filmography contains double Academy Award-winning The Nice Gatsby (2013), Strictly Ballroom (1992), Romeo + Juliet (1996), double Academy Award–successful Moulin Rouge (2001) and sweeping interval epic Australia (2008).”