It’s only a minute ago that comedians were criticized for attending the recent Riyadh Comedy festival in Saudi Arabia. Top among the critics was Human Rights Watch.
Now Hollywood stars are lining up for the Red Sea Festival in Riyadh. Among them: Angelina Jolie, Paul Dano, Jude Law, Anthony Mackie and Ben Kingsley.
Oscar winner Sean Baker, who just won his statue for “Anora,” will head up the jury.
Rowan Athale’s “Giant,” which tells the story of British-Yemeni boxing champion Prince Naseem ‘Naz’ Hamed, will be the opening night film. It features Pierce Brosnan and is produced by Sylvester Stallone.
Will any of these stars get the same scrutiny as the comedians? I doubt it. Despite Saudi Arabia chopping American journalist Jamal Khashoggi into little pieces, stars go anywhere there’s a freebie trip and a red carpet.
The Red Sea Festival has been cleverly buying its way into Hollywood, investing in the Cannes Film Festival and other A list gatherings. No one will say no, not even Jolie, who claims to be a human rights activist.
The Hollywood trades are also happy to promote the Red Sea Festival because there’s ad money involved they won’t turn down.
I’ve been writing about the Red Sea Festival for a few years now, but Saudi Arabia’s record of human rights violations hasn’t stopped anyone from getting on the plane or doing business with them.
