JEDDAH: On the eve of the Arab premiere of his debut feature, “Paka (River of Blood),” which is screening in competition at the Red Sea International Film Festival, writer-director Nithin Lukose spoke of the “honor” of his film being chosen for the event in Jeddah. “We are honored to be the lone Indian film to be selected for the inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival 2021,” he said. “Being selected in the Competition category, among 16 films from around the world, is a dream come true for us.” “Paka” is the only Indian film in the Malayalam language selected for screening during the festival. It will have its Arab premiere on Dec. 9 at Vox Cinemas Al-Balad at 6:15 p.m. with a second screening at 2:15 p.m. on Dec.12 at the same venue. The plot of “Paka,” which stars starring Basil Paulose, Vinitha Koshy, Nithin George, Abhilash Nair, Athul John, Jose Kizhakkkan, Mariyakkutty and Joseph Manikkal, revolves around two feuding families and a young couple that tries to overcome their families’ hatred through love. The film is produced by Raj Rachakonda and Anurag Kashyap. Lukose, who is in Jeddah for the screening of the film, said he hopes Saudis and the Indian diaspora will pack the cinema during the screenings of the film. “It will be highly encouraging for us,” he added. Sharing his thoughts on his experience of the festival so far, the filmmaker said: “Initially, we didn’t have any clue how the inaugural film festival would be but we were blown away by its scale and grandeur.” Lukose said his knowledge of Saudi Arabia was limited before the event but he was quickly overwhelmed by the warmth of the greeting he received from the city and its people. “Apart from the film festival, we were lucky to be given tours of the historic parts of Jeddah, museums and other places,” he said. “This helped us learn more about Saudi Arabia as a country, as well as its culture. The hospitality extended to us is outstanding. “We hope more beautiful and unique movies will come out of Saudi Arabia that will tell more about its history and rich culture, which the world knows little about.” The Red Sea International Film Festival, which began on Dec. 6 and continues until Dec. 15, will screen 138 films from 67 countries in 34 languages.