Hend Sabry & Alia Bhatt Honored By Golden Globes As Awards Body Bolsters Middle East Presence

Tunisian-Egyptian actress Hend Sabry and Indian actress Alia Bhatt were honored at a Golden Globes gala dinner at the Red Sea Film Festival on Tuesday evening.

It marked the Saudi Arabian film festival’s first official collaboration with the Golden Globes.

Sabry was feted with the Omar Sharif Award, which was launched at the Cairo Film Festival in 2024, while Bhatt received the inaugural Golden Globes Horizon Award.

Guests at the event included jury president Sean Baker alongside his jury members Olga Kurylenko, Nadine Labaki, Naomie Harris, Riz Ahmed as well as Sigourney Weaver, Shailene Woodley, Idris Elba, Salman Khan, Édgar Ramírez, Salman Khan and Henry Golding.

With a career straddling Egypt and her native Tunisia, Sabry’s recent acting credits include Finding Ola, which she also conceived and produced, as well as the Oscar-nominated and Cannes winning Oscar hybrid work Four Daughters.

Bhatt is best known for films such as Highway, Raazi, Udta Punjab, Dear Zindagi, and Gangubai Kathiawadi, and earlier in the festival teased upcoming female-led spy movie Alpha for Yash Raj Films.

Named in honor of the iconic late Egyptian actor, the Omar Sharif Award was launched at the Cairo Film Festival last year to honor the contributions of creative individuals throughout the Middle East, Asia and North Africa. Its first recipients were Egyptian stars Yousra and Hussein Fahmy.

The Horizon Award is a new award launched in partnership with the Red Sea. It recognizes “an emerging creative force whose rapid ascent in the entertainment industry is making a significant impact on both regional and international culture”.

“For the first time, we are partnering with the Golden Globes – in a collaboration which carries special meaning and deepens international visibility for the remarkable talent rising from the Arab world, Asia, and Africa,” said Red Sea Film Foundation chairwoman Jomana Al-Rashid.

“Together, we champion the future of this industry and are proud to be launching the Horizon Award to recognising emerging and undeniable talent. This is a landmark moment, and it is a privilege to come together in honouring Hend Sabry and Alia Bhatt – two exceptional actors whose work continues to shape the screen industry.”

The Red Sea Film Festival runs until December 13.