The highly anticipated star-studded gala event was scheduled to take place on September 1.
In a display of solidarity with the ongoing actors’ and writers’ strike in Hollywood, the Red Sea International Film Festival (RedSeaIFF) has made the decision to cancel this year’s Women in Cinema gala event, which was slated to take place during the upcoming Venice Film Festival.
Women in Cinema is a gala event that celebrates female talent working in film. Coordinated in collaboration with esteemed partners Vanity Fair and luxury jewellery brand Chopard, this gala has graced significant platforms like the Cannes Film Festival and, notably, marked its inaugural presence in Saudi Arabia last year under the auspices of RedSeaIFF.
Saudi film producer and RedSeaIFF chief executive Mohammed Al Turki posted the news of the cancellation on Instagram.
“Due to the actors’ strike and in solidarity with the actors, we are unable to proceed with the Women in Cinema event scheduled to be held on the 1st of September in Venice, Italy,” he wrote.
“We remain committed to empowering female talents in front of and behind the camera in our mission to support the industry.”
“As we work towards future events, we genuinely hope to have the opportunity to welcome guests and celebrate women’s stories in the near future under better circumstances,” Al Turki added.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Writers Guild of America have orchestrated a series of ongoing strikes among actors and writers in Hollywood. These collective actions stem from a unified call for improved compensation, equitable contractual terms, and various other provisions within both sectors. The far-reaching impact of these strikes has reverberated across numerous television and film productions, signalling a significant disruption in the entertainment industry.
