The fourth edition of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival (December 5-14) has unveiled the line-up for its Competition strand and has selected Egypt-Saudi co-production The Tale Of Daye’s Family as its opening film.

The Tale Of Daye’s Family by Egyptian filmmaker Karim Shenawi tells the story of an 11-year-old Nubian albino boy who faces adversity due to his unique appearance and who gets a chance to audition for an Egyptian version of talent show The Voice.

Scroll down for full Competition line-up

Speaking at a Red Sea press conference this morning, the festival’s managing director Shivani Pandya Malhotra said Daye was a “perfect representation of where the region is headed and what is happening here. Partnerships are being made and showing a co-production between Egypt and Saudi is fabulous for us.”

For the past three years, the Red Sea has thrown a spotlight on films made in the MENA region, and this year expands to include features from Asia.

Indian director Reema Kagti’s comedy Superboys Of Malegaon, about a group of amateur filmmakers who come together to create a film that honours their city, will screen at Red Sea after world premiering at Toronto.

Launching as a MENA premiere is Sima’s Song directed by Afghan filmmaker Roya Sadat, exploring the evolution of women’s rights during the Russian occupation in the 1970s. The film made its world premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival earlier this month.

Mahdi Fleifel’s To A Land Unknown will also have its MENA premiere after launching in Cannes’ Directors Fortnight. The drama traces the story of two Palestinian refugees stranded in Athens.

The Competition line-up also includes Red Sea-funded To Kill A Mongolian Horse by Xiaoxuan Jiang, examining the bond between humans and horses in Mongolian culture and addressing themes of gentrification and rapid societal change. The film world premiered at Venice.

Also screening as a MENA premiere is Moon, directed by Iraqi-Austrian filmmaker Kurdwin Ayub, which follows a former mixed martial arts champion in Austria who goes to Jordan to train three teenage daughters of a rich family living in an isolated mansion.

Seven of the Competition’s 16 features are by female filmmakers: Denise Fernandes’ Hanami; Kurdwin Ayub’s Moon; Taghrid Abouelhassan’s Snow White; Maksud Hossain’s Saba; Reema Kagti’s Superboys Of Malegaon; and Xiaoxuan Jiang’s To Kill A Mongolian Horse.

Three of the selected films are world premieres: Taghrid Abouelhassan’s Snow White, Mohamed Lakhdar Tati’s Bin U Bin, Border Elsewhere and Wael Abumansour’s Saifi.

The closing night gala film is Michael Gracey’s Better Man, the biopic of British pop singer Robbie Williams which world premiered at Telluride.

The awards night gala screening is Johnny Depp’s Red Sea Film Fund-backed Modi: Three Days On The Wing Of Madness, which debuted earlier this year at San Sebastian.

Depp and Gracey’s films are part of the festival’s International Spectacular strand, which comprises 11 international titles premiering in the Arab world for the first time. Its line-up also includes Pablo Larrain’s Maria, Gabriele Salvatores’s Napoli-New York, John Crowley’s We Live In Time and J.C. Chandor’s Kraven The Hunter.

Among the talent being honoured this year at Red Sea are Egyptian actor Mona Zaki (Flight 404, Abserb: The Squadron) and Academy Award winner Viola Davis (The Woman King, Fences).

This year’s edition of the festival is moving into a new home in the historic Al-Balad district of Jeddah.

Red Sea: Competition

Superboys Of Malegaon (India)
Dir. Reema Kagti

Hanami (Switz-Port-Cape Verde)
Dir. Denise Fernandes

To A Land Unknown (UK-Pal-Fr-Gr-Neth-Ger-Qatar-Saudi)
Dir. Mahdi Fleifel

Moon (Austria-Jor)
Dir. Kurdwin Ayub

Songs Of Adam (Iraq-Neth-Saudi-US)
Dir. Oday Rasheed

Red Path (Tun-Fr-Bel-Pol-Saudi-Qatar)
Dir. Lotfi Achour

Snow White (Egypt)
Dir. Taghrid Abouelhassan

Bin U Bin, Border Elsewhere (Alg-Fr)
Dir. Mohamed Lakhdar Tati

Saify (Saudi)
Dir. Wael Abumansour

Aïcha (Tun-Fr-It-Saudi-Qatar)
Dir. Mehdi M. Barsaoui

Seeking Haven For Mr Rambo (Egypt-Saudi)
Dir. Khaled Mansour

Sima’s Song (Neth-Fr-Sp-Tai)
Dir. Roya Sadat

6 In The Morning (Iran-Turkey)
Dir. Mehran Modiri

To Kill A Mongolian Horse (Mal-HK-US-S.Kor-Japan-Thai)
Dir. Xiaoxuan Jiang

Saba (Bangladesh)
Dir. Maksud Hossain

My Friend An Delie (China)
Dir. Zijan Dong