Faisal Baltiour, acclaimed Saudi producer, has been appointed CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation and will take on the role on June 1st.
Baltyuor, founder of leading distributor Cinewaves Films and widely considered a pioneer in the Saudi Arabian industry, will take over Mohammed Asseri, FF CEO of the Red Sea.
The foundation runs the Red Sea International Film Festival, and its funding programme supports over 250 projects from Saudi Arabia, Mena, Africa and Asia. Former CEO Mohammed Al-Turki resigned in June last year.
Faisal is a leading figure in the Saudi Arabian film industry, and holds his post as the first CEO of the Saudi Film Council, founding and running Saudi distributor Cinewaves Films, and serving as CEO of Muvi Studios. He recently opened Riyadh’s first art house cinema, Cine House. This is a country’s milestone where cinemas reopened in 2018 after nearly 40 years of closure.
Producer, executive at Faisal, has produced over 20 years. The perfect candidateselected for Venice in 2019, Saudi Arabia’s box office phenomenon Satta. He was also a producer of the Saudi Arabian Netflix feature. From the ashesand co-produced by Mohamed Kordofani Goodbye Juliawhich became the hallmark of Sudan’s first performance at Cannes, screened in 2023 with UN honor and won the Freedom Award.
Regarding Baltyuor’s appointment, Red Sea FF Chairman Jomana Al-Rashid said, “His visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to unlocking the infinite possibilities of emerging talent fuels not only artistic excellence, but also the sustainable growth of the industry.”
Baltyuor said he is “committed to building on the success of the foundation.” “Through our diverse programs, we will continue to support the local and internationally thriving film industry, in line with the ambitions of Vision 2030, which puts the creative sector at the heart of national development.”
The next edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival is scheduled to take place at Jeddah from December 4th to 13th.
(TagstoTranslate) Middle East (T) Saudi Arabia (T) Staff movement
