“I think it’s about human connection”: David Ward on Human Tide at Red Sea International Film Festival 2025

Among the positive surprises at the Red Sea Film Festival was director David Ward, whose film Human Tide offered a deeply personal exploration of the Hajj pilgrimage. The documentary intimately follows six diverse groups of pilgrims, each with personal reasons for their sacred journey, such as Yousef and his father seeking healing from mental health struggles.

In his interview with The Upcoming, Ward shared his ambition to go beyond rituals, focusing instead on individual motivations and emotional journeys. As he stated, “I think it’s about human connection,” underscoring the film’s universal themes of hope, desire and spiritual connection. He also discussed the immense filming difficulties amidst two million people and the crucial trust built to capture his subjects’ “innermost selves”, aiming to resonate widely and challenge Muslim stereotypes.

Laura Della Corte

Human Tide does not have a release date yet.

Watch the trailer for Human Tide here: