How Hollywood ‘turns a blind eye to Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses’ – as A-list stars Will Smith, Johnny Depp and Sharon Stone grace ‘arts-washing’ film festival – while Gwyneth Paltrow comes under fire for flying away

Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars have been accused of turning a blind eye to Saudi Arabia’s “egregious” human rights abuses by attending a film festival in the Kingdom.

The likes of Will Smith, Sharon Stone and Johnny Depp have already attended the Red Sea Film Fesival in Jeddah, which human rights groups say is intended for ‘art washing’.

The festival, run by a foundation chaired by the Saudi culture minister, is said to have offered stars as much as $1 million each for their performances.

Baz Luhrmann, Ed Westwick, Alessandra Ambrosio and Sofia Vergara are among those present at the event this weekend, which Puck News dubbed the ‘red carpet of blood’.

Last night it was confirmed that even Gwyneth Paltrow, who effectively retired from film more than a decade ago and has made a fortune with her wellness brand Goop, will be in attendance.

Oscar winner Paltrow, 51, is the latest and most surprising A-list signee, especially since outside of her appearances as Pepper Potts in Marvel films, she hasn’t starred in a film since 2015’s Mortdecai.

She said in a 2020 interview that she “hit the bullseye” at age 26 by winning an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love and then realized she “wasn’t that into acting.”

A spokesperson for the festival confirmed yesterday that Paltrow will appear in ‘In Conversation’ with Jomana Al Rashid, the CEO of Arab News, on Wednesday evening.

Critics see this as part of the regime’s ‘arts-washing’ and ‘sports-washing’, where glamorous international events are held to divert attention from human rights abuses.

Homosexuality remains a crime punishable by death in the kingdom and widespread outrage greeted the 2018 murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi by agents of the Saudi government in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

On Friday, the Puck news website published an item on “Saudi Arabia’s red carpet,” claiming: “$1 million was the standing offer going around among the talent agencies to get big stars to walk the carpet… Will Smith has maybe even got more than that.’

Depp appears because he has a long-standing relationship with the festival, as its founding was one of the financiers of his comeback film Jeanne Du Barry. It is clear that Depp was not paid for his presence.

A spokesperson for Paltrow did not respond to requests for comment about her compensation for participating.

Oscar winner Will Smith, who built his reputation after the 2022 Oscars blowout, said at the festival on Saturday that he was keen to work in the Kingdom and said he had ambitions to make: ‘A film with Denzel – yes! A film with Denzel Washington in Saudi Arabia!’

He added, “You know, I think what I’m really excited about right now is the transfer of knowledge. I really want to teach. I really want to teach film. I want to work with people on big films.

“And what’s exciting to me about Saudi Arabia is that it’s a brand new filmmaking community. So they are brand new filmmakers. And there’s a style of global storytelling where I’ve traveled the world and I understand little tweaks that make things global – to be able to take local stories and make them global.

“So I’m looking forward to traveling the world and collaborating and being able to teach and build a global storytelling community. I have a deep faith in the power of sharing our stories with each other to help heal wounds; to help get to know each other.

‘I feel like this next phase of my life is going to work in global collaboration to create an exchange of our stories that creates bridges. I just don’t feel like politics will necessarily bring about the change, so I’m putting the burden on myself and on global artists. Absolute. I love it here. Someone tell me where my house should be!’

The chairman of the jury this year is Elvis and Moulin Rouge! Director Baz Luhrmann who also spoke warmly about Saudi Arabia.

The country banned cinemas until six years ago, but is now investing millions in incentives for the festival as part of its strategy to shift the economy away from its dependence on oil.

Its selection as the opening title is seen as a sign of the growing strength of Saudi Arabia’s film and TV industry, just six years after the lifting of the country’s 35-year cinema ban as part of the 2030 strategy aimed at on getting the economy moving. away from oil.

Baz Luhrmann said he came to Saudi Arabia before accepting the role. ‘I came in a quiet way to do my own research… for 30 years there was no cinema and suddenly films are being seen. I got to know the studios, but what really struck me were the young, up-and-coming filmmakers and how hungry they are to tell their stories. That’s why I’m here. At a time when politics is failing us, storytellers need to be heard and that is what we want to support here.’

A spokesperson for Human Rights Watch said earlier this year: ‘The Saudi government has been using this high-profile festival as a means to draw attention to its egregious human rights record for a number of years – and they continue to do so. Unfortunately.

“The country’s human rights record is only getting worse. We documented a terrible case of a retired teacher who was sentenced to death based on his peaceful Twitter and YouTube activities in July this year.

“It is deeply concerning that this festival targets powerful artists, performers and celebrities who have exercised freedom of expression through their art and yet participate in a festival organized by the government that will not tolerate that freedom.”

The charity’s message is: ‘If you must go, use your platform to raise awareness about the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia.’