The Red Sea International Film Festival 2025: Dakota Johnson, Jessica Alba, Uma Thurman and more

The Red Sea International Film Festival 2025: Dakota Johnson, Jessica Alba, Uma Thurman and more

Okay. Hi, Jessica. Hi. How are you? Yeah. This way. Your head, Jessica. Hi, Jessica. Jessica, look at me, please. And big smile. Jessica, big smile. Thank you. Jessica, one more time, please, for me. Okay, turn your head. Okay, Dakota, this way. Okay, Dakota, this way. I’m this way. Dakota, look at me, please. your eyes for me. This way turn this way and this way. This way this way. Michael, straight ahead, please. [Music] Thank you everybody. Thank you. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, so nice we’re excited to be at Red Sea and support it. Well, Red Sea’s been on my radar for a while. I’m happy the schedules have finally aligned. Um, I’m grateful to be able to come here and support film, especially international movies, and um, yeah, I think it’s just been a great time for me to come and performing, I think. Are you going to be performing as well? Uh, yes, I’ll be performing tomorrow, um, at the Women in Hollywood, I think, dinner. Uh, but actually, I’ve never performed here, so I’m very excited. I bet you are really curious just to discover, you know, is there anything you’re particularly curious about discovering in your time here? I spent time in the old town today. Uh I just want I’d love to just uh be a tourist if I’m in places I’ve never been and so I spent the morning just doing that, seeing the beach and it’s beautiful. Hey, lovely to welcome you here. Thank you. It’s my first time here and um so beautiful driving up and seeing the mosque reflected in the water and a full moon. Stunning tonight. It’s a great city and I know of course um at can you were part of the women in cinema events and so were you just curious to come and discover the Red Sea? I know that this is the most significant film festival in the region and I’m a really passionate lover of film festivals. I’ve sat on juries many times before. It’s a real privilege. You get a crash course in storytelling from all over the world. Yes. And you just love hearing about those diverse voices, you know, at a place like this as well, right? And Yeah. And are you curious to discover, you know, um this the people here and to meet people? I’m very excited to meet people. I I this is you’re my the first person I’ve spoken to. I’ve just arrived and it’s it’s a pleasure. Is there anything that you might be particularly looking at in a film that would make you think, “Yeah, I’ve really connected with this person.” Yeah. Well, I’m I’m excited to see the voice of Hindra. Um, and also Palestine 36. These are two films that I think are just so urgent. Um, I think they’re really meeting the moment, you know. I think they’re really meeting people where they’re at in terms of how they’re feeling and telling stories that that feel necessary and telling them in innovative, cool, ambitious way with um with filmmakers that that are just genuinely cool. You know, they could be making films about anything that they wanted to, but um they choose to tell stories that that are really meeting our moment. and and that to me is the highest calling of art. So I’m excited for those films in particular. Do you enjoy the in conversation and where is it exciting meeting your fans? It’s always it’s always important when you can get in front of the audience, get in front of the people who support you and who you inspire and be reinspired by them, which is what always happens whenever I’m in conversation in front of my fans. So it was it was a wonderful thing to do. Um I’m really it’s my first time in Jedha. I’m really excited to be here at the festival and just to celebrate film and film making and cinema and that’s the theme of of the festival this year is for the love of cinema. So that’s what the world is all about receiving, giving and just love. That’s all we want. Well, welcome. Firstly, please let me welcome you. And why was it important to discover the Red Sea from the festival? Uh I mean so many reasons. Uh it feels like uh a wild time in a history and I guess uh I was very curious to be here and I’ve met some extraordinary filmmakers and uh it’s pretty incredible. Absolutely. I’m sure you’re going to tell me you’ve just arrived, but are you are you curious to discover people? Is there anything you’re particularly looking forward to about your time here? Uh yeah, I guess I’m uh mostly looking forward to uh supporting uh women filmmakers. That’s wonderful. Uncle asked why. I guess it’s always important and it’s always a meaningful act. Um, ladies and gentlemen, it’s what I know and what I do, so why not? Thank you. Someone who with the brutalist, you know, you made a work of cinematic art, you know, how excited are you about people opening up to the possibility of cinema in, you know, in this part of the world? Well, they have a they have a strong history of of film making and and even you know Egyptian film and you know wonderful big spectacular movies and you know I think we’re living in a time where we all need to find ways to um share share what we share and emotions are universal and we all have families and needs and heartbreak and love and curiosity. And that can all be expressed through art and and through film and through narrative storytelling. And I feel like now more than ever, we need to share those voices and and and and listen and see how much more we have in common than our differences. Absolutely. So, you’re curious about discovering the films and the people and getting people. Yes. And the people are wonderful. I mean, I I I’ve been coming here for years and I’ve supported the festival in the past and I I think they do a wonderful job and they bring so many interesting people here to celebrate this work with. So, it’s it’s actually a pleasure to be here. Has it been exciting meeting your fans in in Saudi Arabia and having this experience? Yes, very much so. Cuz like I just saw people, you know, the side there taking a picture. So wild, you know, to have affected people all over the world is something that’s really unique and I do not take for granted. Like it’s really a beautiful thing that these movies bring us together and mean a lot to people’s childhood. Yeah. What sparked your curiosity in terms of coming to the Red Sea? And I’ve never been to the Middle East. Um so that was the main thing, but also to support a festival that’s new I think is important. But really just coming to the Red Sea, why did it spark your curiosity and want to be part of the festival? Um, you know, I’m really interested to see the films coming out of these countries and I I’m inspired by a lot of them and there’s a lot of female filmmakers from Saudi and from the surrounding countries that I’m that I’m just so curious about. I want to meet them. I want to work with them. I think there’s such incredible talent here and you know bringing art together globally is so important and to be here and meet everyone and be a part of this festival is is an honor and thinking about the fact that you are a filmmaker you’re a producer as well you know is there anything that you’re particularly excited about discovering you know about Jenner in the festival. Yeah, I think it’s, you know, discovering these voices and and, you know, different cultures and figuring out how we can tell stories in a way that reach the masses in a global sense. And, um, I’m just I’m just excited to to meet other artists from this part of the world. Um, it’s wonderful to welcome you here. And, you know, why were you curious to discover the Red Sea Festival? Oh my god, I’ve heard about the festival since it started like 5 years ago. And I I you know every time you have the opportunity to support film and and art in general like you you want to be there. You want to be a part of it. And I think what the festival is doing is really wonderful and it’s very interesting all the initiatives and all the programs. It’s it’s beautiful here. And are you excited to meet some of your fans as well and just to to meet you know the Saudi fans? You excited to see? 100%. And I was actually I spent all day yesterday walking around the city and eating and amazing food and like uh going to like some artists galleries and workshops and all that and it’s yeah saying hi to everyone on the street. It was really it was really nice. That’s lovely. What’s the Have you Have you got a vibe of of the festival at all or Well, I literally just arrived. you’re my first person say, you know, talking to but but I Yeah, it’s it’s great. I’m very excited. Very much looking forward to tonight and the rest of the festival. Yeah. Thank you so much for singing.

The Red Sea International Film Festival held its 2025 Women in Cinema event on Dec. 5 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Stars like Dakota Johnson, Jessica Alba, Ana de Armas and more were in attendance. See all the stars’ looks below.

#dakotajohnson #jessicalaba #redseafilmfestival

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