Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival has revealed details of the Red Sea Souk, the fest’s industry market that will offer meeting and networking opportunities revolving around new Arab and African product.
The Souk will take place Dec. 2-5 alongside the Nov. 30-Dec. 9 fest in Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore. The fest’s industry side will also comprise the Red Sea Talent Days on Dec. 6-7, which will give regional talents and young filmmakers a chance to connect with industry experts.
The Red Sea Souk Project Market will showcase 26 feature-length projects from across the Arab and African region. Of these, 12 are Red Sea Lodge projects that were developed in-house during the year through workshops and labs in partnership with Italy’s Torino Film Lab.
Four of these projects will be awarded the annual Red Sea Lodge production prizes of $50,000 each.
All 26 selected projects in the Souk will compete for cash prizes offered by the Red Sea Fund, to be awarded by an international jury of producers: $35,000 for development, $25,000 for the Jury Special Mention Award and $100,000 for production.
Projects at the Souk in various stages comprise Egyptian-American directorDina Amer’s Arabic-language remake of hit Korean movie “Miracle in Cell No. 7”; Tunisian producer and director Fatma Riahi’s “My Father Killed Bourguiba” which depicts the director delving into the story of her father who was part of a group that planned to overthrow the Tunisian regime of president Bourguiba in a military coup; and French-Algerian director Emma Benestan’s female-revenge drama “Animale.”
Confirmed speakers at the Souk’s industry panels include former U.S. Marvel Television exec Karim Zreik; Jordanian writer and director Tima Al Shomali; South Korean producer Woo-Sik Seo; Saudi animation director Malek Nejer and Colombian producer Diego Ramírez Schrempp.
The Project Market jury comprises Saudi Producer Wael Abumansour (Telfaz 11), French producer Jean Bréhat (Tessalit Productions), Moroccan producer Lamia Chraibi (La Prod), Senegalese producer Oumar Sall (Cinekap) and Bosnian producer and director Jasmila Žbanić.
Judging the Works-In-Progress are Venice Days artistic director Gaia Furrer, Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu and Iraqi-Italian director Haider Rashid.
“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,” said Red Sea Film Festival managing director Shivani Pandya Malhotra in a statement.
Below, find the selected projects.
Red Sea Souk Project Market
“A Childhood,” by Scandar Copti – Creative documentary/Animation. Palestine, France
“Djeliya, Memory Of Manding,” by Boubacar Sangaré – Creative documentary. Burkina Faso
“Love Conquers All,” by Danielle Arbid. Lebanon, France
“Madness And Honey Days,” by Ahmed Yassin Al-Daradji. Iraq, Canada
“Miracle In Cell No. 7,” by Dina Amer. Lebanon, UAE
“Nostalgia: A Tale in First Chapters,” by Ameer Fakher Eldin. Syria, Germany, Italy
“Sadness,” by Emmanuela Lalanga – First Feature. Central African Republic, France, Republic of Congo
“Selfless,” by Meriem Mesraoua – First Feature. Algeria, France, Qatar
“Tanzanite,” by Kantarama Gahigiri – First Feature. Rwanda, South Africa, Kenya, Switzerland
“The Return of The Prodigal Son,” by Rani Massalha. Egypt, Tunisia, France
“The Stranger,” by Gaya Jiji. Syria, France
“The Treasure,” by Abdellah Taïa. Morocco
“There Days 1/3,” by Rakan Mayasi. Palestine, Lebanon, U.S., Belgium
“When I Close My Eyes, I See Your Eyes,” by Sameh Alaa – First Feature. Egypt
Red Sea Lodge Projects
“An Endless Night,” by Mohamed Kassaby – First Feature. Egypt
“Black Snake,” by Naishe Nyamubaya – First Feature. Zimbabwe
“By Hasnaa’s Side,” by Amaal Youssif – First Feature. Saudi Arabia
“Fantastical Tale,” by Vincho Nchogu – First Feature. Nigeria
“In The Beginning, It Is The End,” by Ghadeer Binabbas. Saudi Arabia
“Mecca, Berlin,” by Mujtaba Saeed and Ghiath Al Mhitawi – First Feature. Saudi Arabia/ UAE/Germany
“My Father Killed Bourguiba,” by Fatma Riahi and Louai Haffar – documentary. Tunisia/Qatar
“Temporary Lives,” by Wessam Hachicho – First Feature. France/Norway/Syria
“The Girl And The Missing Bed,” by Samer Battikhi – First Feature. Jordan/Lebanon
“The Middle One,” by Sarah Almuneef – First Feature. Saudi Arabia/France
“The Night Whisperer,” by Lina Mahmoud – First Feature. Saudi Arabia
“The Sun Sees Everything,” by Wissam Tanios. Lebanon
Red Sea Souk Work-In-Progress Showcase
“Animale,” Emma Benestan. Algeria, France, Belgium
“Men In The Sun,” by Mahdi Fleifel. Palestine, UK, Greece, The Netherlands, France, Germany
“My Semba,” by Hugo Salvaterra – First Feature. Angola
“Red Path,” by Lotfi Achour. Tunisia, France, Belgium, Poland
“Rising Up At Night,” by Nelson Makengo – First Feature/Creative documentary. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Belgium, Germany, Burkina Faso
“Yunan,” by Ameer Fakher Eldin. Palestine, Germany, Canada, Italy, Jordan
