Actress Emily Blunt honoured with the Red Sea Honoree Award at RSIFF; Will Smith, Catherine Zeta-Jones walk the red carpet

The Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF), now in its fourth year, kicked off with an array of Hollywood and global stars descending upon the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

This year, one of the key highlights was Academy Award nominee Emily Blunt, who was honoured with the Red Sea Honoree Award for her outstanding contributions to international cinema.

A visibly moved Blunt expressed her heartfelt gratitude, telling the audience, “Thank you so much for this. I am very, very moved, and it’s such a pleasure to be at this vibrant and incredibly dynamic film festival. It just makes you realize we have so many stories to tell. We are brimming with them.” The award was presented to Blunt by Academy Award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh, who introduced the celebrated actress to the star-studded crowd. Alongside Emily Blunt, Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, and action movie icon Vin Diesel were also the honorees.

Khan, introduced by actress Eva Longoria, spoke about the honour of being recognized at such an esteemed event. Longoria, a lifelong admirer of Khan’s work, praised him for his impactful contributions to global cinema, citing films like Lagaan, 3 Idiots, and Dangal as some of the highlights of his illustrious career. Vin Diesel, introduced by his long-time Fast and Furious co-star Michelle Rodriguez, also expressed his admiration for the Red Sea festival.

“I’m just in awe of this film festival, where you can feel the warmth,” Diesel said, highlighting the unique and intimate atmosphere of the event.

Blunt’s reflections on cinema’s power to connect cultures resonated deeply with the ethos of the Red Sea festival. “We want to experience stories, and we want to communicate our ideas and learn about each other,” she remarked, during the “In-conversation” session at the festival. The red-carpet event of the glitzy opening ceremony was graced by celebrities such as Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Erivo, Eva Longoria, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas.

Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan also walked the red carpet. — ANI