Vin Diesel pushed Michael Caine in a wheelchair along the red carpet at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah on Thursday, where the 92-year-old actor was honoured with an award. Diesel, who worked with Caine on the 2015 film The Last Witch Hunter, assisted the veteran star before they posed for photographs.
The festival opened with the Middle East premiere of Giant, a biopic of British-Yemeni boxing champion 'Prince' Naseem Hamed directed by Rowan Athale and starring Amir El-Masry and Pierce Brosnan. Attendees included Dakota Johnson, Uma Thurman, Ana de Armas, Queen Latifah, Nina Dobrev, Kirsten Dunst, and Jessica Alba, alongside jury president Sean Baker and jury members Riz Ahmed, Naomie Harris, Nadine Labaki, and Olga Kurylenko.
During the opening ceremony, Diesel presented Caine with the honorary award, describing him as a 'fellow family man'. According to Variety, Diesel said: 'He's been somebody that, as Uma Thurman said, could play character roles or main roles, and all the while has more charisma in his finger than most people in Hollywood.'
Caine, accompanied by his three grandchildren, reflected on his seven-decade career. He said: 'I was born a cockney in London, which is very poor working class, and I grew up to be what I am which is, well, I am not multiple rich, but I've got enough money for an evening out, even an evening in.' He added: 'I've been married for 52 years. I have loads of photographs but none are of any of the movies I am in, it's just family, because that's my life.'
The actor, who won two Oscars for best supporting actor, joked about the award: 'I'm here to get an award, which doesn't surprise me. I won two Oscars.' He concluded: 'I kept going until I was 90, which is two years ago. I'm not going to do anything else, I've had all the luck I can get.'
The ceremony took place at the Red Sea Film Foundation's new headquarters in Jeddah's Al-Balad district. Other honourees this year include Sigourney Weaver, Juliette Binoche, Rachid Bouchareb, and Stanley Tong. The festival runs from 4 to 13 December 2025.
