In Flames wins the Golden Yusr for Best Feature Film at the Red Sea Film Festival

In Flames has won the Golden Yusr for Best Feature Film at the 3rd edition of the Red Sea Film Festival, taking place in Jeddah from Nov. 30 to Dec. 9.

In Flames is also Pakistan‘s submission to the Oscars in the international feature category.

At the closing ceremony of the 3rd edition of the Red Sea Film Festival took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

The gathering in Jeddah attracted Hollywood stars including Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Chris Hemsworth and Sharon Stone, on Thursday evening, they unveiled the winners of its Red Sea competition honours, the Yusr awards, and other prizes.

 

Zarrar Kahn, Pakistan-Canadian director and writer, said his indie movie was shot for “just $300,000 — the size of a Red Sea Fund production grant.”

He urged “everyone who gets a grant to go make a movie because this was made for nothing.”

Last month, In Flames won the International Newcomer Award at the 72nd International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg.

The psychological thriller premiered at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight earlier this year in May. It was the first Pakistan-set film in Directors’ Fortnight since Jamil Dehlavi’s The Blood of Hussain in 1980.

In Flames was independently released at the Atrium Cinemas in Pakistan’s southern Karachi city for a 12-day run in October, which was later extended until November 9.

The film has also played at Toronto, Busan, Sitges, Sao Paulo and Pingyao festivals.

Other awards at the 3rd edition of the Red Sea Film Festival included:

Best director — Shokir Kholikov for “Sunday”

Best actress — Mouna Hawa for “Inshallah a Boy”

Best feature screenplay — Karim Bensalah and Jamal Belmahi for “Six Feet Over”

Best cinematic contribution — “Omen,” directed by Baloji

Best short film — “Suitcase” by Saman Hosseinpuor and Ako Zanhkarim

Short jury prize — “Somewhere in Between” by Dahlia Nemlich

Audience awards for best Saudi film — “Norah,” by Tawfik Alzaidi,

Best international film — “Hopeless” by Kim Chang-Hoon.

Best documentary — Kauother Ben Hania for “Four Daughters”