The awards for the 5th Red Sea International Film Festival were handed out at a glitzy ceremony in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on Thursday, and Akio Fujimoto’s Rohingya refugee drama Lost Land won the top prize, the Golden Yusr for best feature film. The Japanese filmmaker also picked up a cash prize of $100,000.
Fujimoto’s film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year, where it won the special jury prize. Lost Land also won the jury grand prize at this year’s Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The Rohingya-language film follows two refugee children, four-year-old Shafi and his nine-year-old sister Somira, who leave a refugee camp in Bangladesh and make the dangerous journey to Malaysia to reunite with their family.
Cherien Dabis’ searing family drama All That’s Left of You took Red Sea’s Silver Yusr, which came with a $30,000 cash prize. The critically-lauded film, which premiered at Sundance, follows three generations of Palestinians from 1948-2022, and reveals the profound impacts of the Nakba. All That’s Left of You is Jordan’s official submission for the Oscars, and is one of three films about Palestinian history — the others being Palestine 36 and The Voice of Hind Rajab, both of which screened at Red Sea — that are in consideration for the 2026 Academy Awards in the best international film category.
The Yusr jury prize, as well as $10,000, went to Jeddah-born filmmaker Shahad Ameen who won for her film Hijra. The road movie, Saudi Arabia‘s Oscar submission, premiered in Venice to rave reviews and won the festival’s best Asian film award. Hijra also took the Film AlUla best Saudi film award.
Syrian filmmaker Ameer Fakher Eldin’s powerful and redemptive Germany-set drama Yunan also won two awards, including best director (and its $10,000 cash prize) and best actor for George Khabbaz.
French icon Juliette Binoche won the Al Sharq Award for best doc for her directorial debut In-I: In Motion and Mohamed Siam won the Film AlUla Audience Award for My Father’s Scent.
Elsewhere, rising young Korean star Seo Su-Bin won best actress for her turn in Yoon Ga-eun’s The World of Love and Chinese filmmaker Zhang Zhongchen was given the Yusr for cinematic achievement for his feature Nighttime Sounds.
The full RSIFF 2025 winners list is below.
Features Competition
Golden Yusr Best Feature Film ($100,000 prize): Lost Land (directed by Akio Fujimoto)
Silver Yusr Feature Film ($30,000 prize): All That’s Left of You (directed by Cherien Dabis)
Yusr Jury Prize ($10,000 prize): Hijra (directed by Shahad Ameen)
Yusr Best Director ($10,000 prize): Ameer Fakher Eldin for Yunan
Yusr Best Actor: George Khabbaz for Yunan
Yusr Best Actress: Seo Su-Bin for The World of Love
Yusr Best Screenplay ($10,000 prize): A Sad and Beautiful World (written and directed by Cyril Aris)
Yusr Cinematic Achievement: Nighttime Sounds (directed by Zhang Zhongchen)
Al Sharq Award for Best Documentary In Competition ($10,000 prize): In-I: In Motion (directed by Juliette Binoche)
Film AlUla Best Saudi Film Award: Hijra (directed by Shahad Ameen)
Film AlUla Audience Award: My Father’s Scent (directed by Mohamed Siam)
Shorts Competition
Golden Yusr Best Short Film ($25,000 prize): Coyotes (directed by Said Zagha)
Silver Yusr Short Film ($12,500 prize): Empty Lands (directed by Karim Eldin Elalfy)
Special Mention Short Film: Jeem 1983 (directed by Jorj Abou Mhaya)
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