The Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has revealed the 26 projects selected as part of this year’s Red Sea Souk Market, which will run Dec. 2-5.
“The Red Sea Souk Project Market will present 26 feature-length projects from across the Arab and African region, offering a first opportunity for the industry audience to connect and build future opportunities with these projects,” organizers said on Tuesday.
Part of the selection are 12 “Red Sea Lodge” projects which were developed during the year through workshops and in partnership with the Torino Film Lab. Four of them will be awarded the annual Red Sea Lodge production prizes of $50,000 each.
All 26 projects in the market will compete for cash prizes offered by the Red Sea Fund, to be awarded by an international jury of producers. They are worth $35,000 for development, $25,000 for the jury special mention award and $100,000 for production.
Meanwhile, the Work-in-Progress Showcase will take six films by independent filmmakers at the stage of post-production and present them to distributors, producers, buyers, financiers and festival programmers to allow for possible future collaborations and to bring these films to audiences. All selected films in the Work-in-Progress Showcase will compete for the Red Sea Souk Post-Production Award of $30,000 and the special jury mention of $10.000.
Given the market’s goal of “highlighting the diverse range of talent representing the Middle East and North Africa region’s bold new cinematic output,” the Souk will finish with a Talent Days program on Dec. 6-7, “giving new regional talent and short filmmakers a chance to connect with industry experts.”
Said RSIFF managing director Shivani Pandya Malhotra: “We are excited to host the Red Sea Souk as part of the Red Sea IFF for a third year and to showcase some of the most innovative, inspiring new talent from the Arab and African region. The Red Sea Souk’s marketplace offers a vital and pivotal platform dedicated to the introduction of new stories to the prospect of international audiences. The Souk continues to support international connections between the key players and talents in the region as well as developing opportunities for those at the start of their careers. With the addition of financial and in-kind awards from our generous partners, the future of filmmaking creativity will be further bolstered.”
The Red Sea 360° industry events program will bring together film professionals for a series of workshops, panels and sessions. First speakers announced on Tuesday include Karim Zreik from the U.S., Tima Al Shomali, writer-director from Jordan, Woo-Sik Seo, producer at Barunson C&C in South Korea, Malek Nejer, animation director at Myrkott in Saudi Arabia and Diego Ramírez Schrempp, producer at Dynamo in Colombia.
See the projects selected for the Red Sea Souk Project Market below.
A CHILDHOOD, by Scandar CoptiHybrid Creative Documentary-AnimationPalestine, France
DJELIYA, MEMORY OF MANDING, by Boubacar SangaréCreative DocumentaryBurkina Faso
LOVE CONQUERS ALL, by Danielle ArbidLebanon, France
MADNESS AND HONEY DAYS, by Ahmed Yassin Al-DaradjiIraq, Canada
MIRACLE IN CELL NO.7, by Dina AmerLebanon, UAE
NOSTALGIA: A TALE IN FIRST CHAPTERS, by Ameer Fakher EldinSyria, Germany, Italy
SADNESS, by Emmanuela Lalanga1st featureCentral African Republic, France, Republic of Congo
SELFLESS, by Meriem Mesraoua1st featureAlgeria, France, Qatar
TANZANITE, by Kantarama Gahigiri1st featureRwanda, South Africa, Kenya, Switzerland
THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL SON, by Rani MassalhaEgypt, Tunisia, France
THE STRANGER, by Gaya JijiSyria, France
THE TREASURE, by Abdellah TaïaMorocco
THREE DAYS 1/3, by Rakan Mayasi1st featurePalestine, Lebanon, USA, Belgium
WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES, I SEE YOUR EYES, by Sameh Alaa1st featureEgypt
The Red Sea Lodge ProjectsAN ENDLESS NIGHT, by Mohamed Kassaby1st featureEgypt
BLACK SNAKE, by Naishe Nyamubaya1st featureZimbabwe
BY HASNAA’S SIDE, by Amaal Youssif1st featureSaudi Arabia
FANTASTIC TALE, by Vincho Nchogu1st featureNigeria
IN THE BEGINNING, IT IS THE END by Ghadeer BinabbasSaudi Arabia
MECCA, BERLIN, by Mujtaba Saeed & Ghiath Al Mhitawi1st featureSaudi Arabia/ UAE/Germany
MY FATHER KILLED BOURGUIBA, by Fatma Riahi & Louai Haffar2nd feature DocumentaryTunis/Qatar
TEMPORARY LIVES, by Wessam Hachicho1st featureFrance/Norway/Syria
THE GIRL AND THE MISSING BED, by Samer Battikhi1st featureJordan/Lebanon
THE MIDDLE ONE, by Sarah Almuneef1st featureSaudi Arabia/FranceTHE NIGHT WHISPERER, by Lina Mahmoud1st featureSaudi Arabia
THE SUN SEES EVERYTHING, by Wissam Tanios2nd featureLebanon
The Red Sea Souk Work-In-Progress Showcase
ANIMALE, by Emma BenestanAlgeria, France, Belgium
MEN IN THE SUN, by Mahdi FleifelPalestine, UK, Greece, The Netherlands, France, Germany
MY SEMBA, by Hugo Salvaterra1st FeatureAngola
RED PATH, by Lotfi AchourTunisia, France, Belgium, Poland
RISING UP AT NIGHT, by Nelson Makengo1st Feature, Creative DocumentaryDemocratic Republic of the Congo, Belgium, Germany, Burkina Faso
YUNAN, by Ameer Fakher EldinPalestine, Germany, Canada, Italy, Jordan
