In recent years, major international film festivals have increasingly highlighted programs dedicated to restored films and cinematic heritage. At Cannes, Venice, and Berlin, so-called Classics or Treasures sections have become essential events—not merely exercises in nostalgia, but celebrations of cinema’s enduring memory. Bringing forgotten or fragile works back to life allows new generations to experience, often for the first time on the big screen, the images, voices, and emotions that shaped the history of film. These screenings are more than preservation; they are acts of cultural transmission, reminding us that the present loses a vital part of its richness without them.
It is in this spirit that the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF), taking place in Jeddah from 4 to 13 December 2025, presents its fifth edition. In just a few years, the festival has established itself as a central platform for rediscovering and celebrating cinema from the past, particularly within the Arab world. Its Treasures section, now iconic, features six meticulously restored Arab and international films, alongside a historic first in Saudi Arabia: a live-accompanied silent film screening.
Designed as a vibrant tribute to the living archives of cinema, the Treasures program offers audiences a rare opportunity to rediscover legendary works enhanced by the latest restoration technologies. Faisal Baltyuor, CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation, emphasizes the section’s significance: “This year, Treasures highlights true cinema legends, immortal moments and performances brought back to life for audiences in Saudi Arabia and beyond. Each of these films broke new ground upon its original release, and it is a particular honor to have contributed to restoring two of Umm Kulthum’s most memorable works, as part of our ongoing commitment to bringing the best of cinema to Saudi Arabia.”
Celebrating Umm Kulthum’s Enduring Legacy
Among the jewels of this selection are two iconic Egyptian films, Aida (1942) and Song of Hope (1937) (Nashid al-Amal), both directed by Ahmed Badrakhan and starring the incomparable Umm Kulthum, a legendary figure in Arab music and cinema. Restored in 4K through a collaboration between the Red Sea Film Foundation and Egypt Media City, these films will be presented for the first time in their fully restored versions at the festival.
In Aida, Umm Kulthum plays the daughter of a modest farmer who falls in love with Sami, a young nobleman. Their romance, forbidden by social class boundaries, faces opposition from Sami’s father, a strict pasha. The story takes a turning point when the pasha attends one of Aida’s musical performances, is moved by her voice, and ultimately accepts their union. Beyond the romance, the film offers a nuanced reflection on Egyptian society of the era, marked by class tensions and personal aspirations.
Song of Hope presents a more intimate, deeply feminine struggle. Umm Kulthum embodies Amal, a gifted woman torn between love and artistic ambition. Societal pressures push her to choose domestic duty over her singing career, yet Amal’s journey embodies the clash between obligation and personal freedom. The film not only explores this emotional conflict but also celebrates a woman who, both on and off screen, defied conventions to assert her voice in a male-dominated world.
Spellbound: Hitchcock and the Power of Dreams
The program also features a masterpiece of world cinema: Spellbound (1945), Alfred Hitchcock’s psychological thriller, recently restored by Walt Disney Studios in partnership with The Film Foundation, with support from the Academy Film Archive, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg. Produced by David O. Selznick, the film reflects his fascination with psychoanalysis, a rarely addressed topic in 1940s Hollywood. Selznick even brought his own psychoanalyst on set—a decision that famously frustrated Hitchcock.
The film is also known for a surreal dream sequence created by Salvador Dalí, of which only two minutes remain in the final cut, yet it stands as a landmark moment in cinematic surrealism. Starring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck, Spellbound explores the delicate line between guilt and madness, reason and desire. Its screening at RSIFF will mark the first public presentation of this 2024 restoration.
The Big Blue: Luc Besson’s Aquatic Odyssey
Another highlight is The Big Blue (1988), Luc Besson’s cult Franco-American-Italian film, making its Saudi Arabian big-screen debut. Inspired by the lives of champion free divers, it follows childhood friends turned rivals, Jacques Mayol (Jean-Marc Barr) and Enzo Molinari (Jean Reno), whose underwater duels test the limits of friendship and human endurance. Rosanna Arquette portrays the fragile connection to the surface world that anchors Jacques.
Filmed long before digital effects, The Big Blue relies on actual dives, captured with breathtaking beauty. Eric Serra’s ethereal score heightens the hypnotic underwater imagery. A phenomenon in 1980s France, the film played for an entire year and drew nearly ten million viewers.
A Vibrant Tribute to the Silent Era
RSIFF 2025 will also offer Saudi audiences a historic first: Silent Film Spectacular, celebrating the golden age of silent cinema with live accompaniment. For this landmark event, British pianist Neil Brand, a global authority on silent film music, will provide live performance in perfect sync with the on-screen action.
The program features three classic slapstick shorts by Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Laurel & Hardy: The Immigrant, Liberty, and One Week. With a pianist and drummer performing live, audiences will experience the thrill of early 20th-century screenings, where every theater became a living stage—a joyous, family-friendly celebration of the timeless power and humor of silent cinema.
Umrao Jaan: Restoring India’s Poetic Heritage
Finally, the festival will screen the exceptional Indian film Umrao Jaan (1981), directed by Muzaffar Ali and restored in 4K by the National Film Archives of India under the National Film Heritage Mission. Adapted from Mirza Hadi Ruswa’s 1899 novel Umrao Jaan Ada, the film follows a 19th-century Lucknow courtesan and poet, played by Rekha, delivering one of the most iconic performances in Indian cinema.
Accompanied by Khayyam’s evocative music and Shahryar’s Urdu poetry, the film painstakingly recreates the refined elegance of Awadhi culture through its costumes, sets, and songs. An independent arthouse masterpiece, Umrao Jaan has achieved cult status for its sensuality, poetry, and melancholic view of a vanished world. Its screening at RSIFF marks the film’s first presentation outside India, highlighting the international significance of India’s restoration efforts.
By bridging memory and modernity, the Treasures program at RSIFF 2025 offers a journey across time and continents, a dialogue between East and West, silence and music, love and the sea, madness and poetry. Each film stands as a living witness, restored to shine once more and remind audiences that cinema, beyond languages and borders, remains above all an art of memory.
Neïla Driss
