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POST-PRODUCTION
RULES AND REGULATIONS

ELIGIBILITY

The following criteria will be applied: [1]

Feature fiction, documentary, or animation films of minimum length of sixty (60) minutes.

Director(s) of African nationality or Arab nationality/origin. [2]

A complete rough cut of the film to be provided as a private online viewing link of a minimum length of sixty (60) minutes.​

Rough-cut must be submitted with subtitles in English for non-English dialogue.

Production company profile, registration documents and passport of authorized signatory as well as an official document proving the legal authorization and capacity of the signatory to sign on behalf of the company for the purpose of entering into the Red Sea Fund Agreement for feature and series projects (if project is selected).

The following documents must be submitted in English, excluding the Script for Saudi projects which can be submitted in Arabic:

MANDATORY

  • A complete rough cut of the film to be provided as a private online viewing link of a minimum length of sixty (60) minutes.​
  • Rough-cut must be submitted with subtitles in English for non-English dialogue.
  • Logline (minimum 30 words, maximum 80 words)
  • Synopsis (minimum 300 words, maximum 500 words)
  • Film’s Chain of Titles.
  • Final Script or writer’s treatment for (Feature Documentaries). Final Script for (Feature Fiction and Animation).
  • Complete project budget breakdown (covering all stages: development, production, and post-production)
  • Financial plan: full details of any other funding applications made and/or already received (i.e., equity, debt, any other financial grants) this applies to both in-cash or in-kind contributions of any kind, including product placements/commercial tie-ins)
  • How the grant money will be utilized during the post-production stage, should the project be selected
  • Project timelines and expected date of completion.
  • A Director’s/ Producer’s video that explains where they are in the process and the status of the current edit (please include captions).
  • Director(s) and producer(s) biographies.
  • Copy of the director’s passport
  • Mood board.
  • Release and distribution strategy

OPTIONAL

  • Final Script and treatment can be submitted in the original language as an additional document.
  • Storyboard
  • Any other material that would support the application.

1 Unless a special waiver is granted by the Red Sea Fund.

2 African or Arab countries are: Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

3 Arab region shall mean one or more of the following countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen

SELECTION OF PROJECTS
  • Only completed online applications as per the instructions listed in the online application form and the required documents will be reviewed and considered. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
  • Applicants will be informed in writing of the Red Sea Fund Committee’s decision, approximately ten (10) weeks after the closing date.
  • The Red Sea Fund Committee’s decision is final. Red Sea Fund will not provide any justification and/ or comments regarding the final decision on the selection or not of project.
  • Selected projects will receive successful letters from the Red Sea Fund detailing the amount of the financial support and the way forward and requiring the authorized person to revert in writing whether by accepting or declining the funding within a certain number of days.
  • Applicants of successful projects must enter into a post -production funding agreement (the “Red Sea Fund Agreement”) within a maximum of four (4) weeks following the acceptance of the letter mentioned above.
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CREDITS AND FIRST RIGHT OF REFUSAL
  • The applicant must provide for Red Sea Fund approval, proof of any financing for the project from other sources, whether in cash or in kind, that would generate credits or acknowledgement.
  • Red Sea Fund shall be recognized as “Supported by” of the film and is to be acknowledged with a prominent logo on the credits of the film as well as on publicity and all promotional materials relating to the film including but not limited to DVDs, internet, press releases and posters. More specific credit and compliance requirements will be described in Red Sea Fund Agreement.
  • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is to be included as a country of production in all film materials.
  • For the avoidance of doubt and unless otherwise agreed upon in writing between the applicant and the Red Sea Fund, the Red Sea International Film Festival shall have the first right of refusal on the “World Premiere” of the submitted film for the subsequent edition of RSIFF, shall the film get selected.
  • In the event that the right holder to host the film’s World Premiere is waived by The Red Sea Fund, the applicant warrants and undertakes that the film or any part thereof will not be commercially exhibited or released on any media platform (or window) in any country in the Arab Region and/or any film festival focused on Arab films outside the Arab region 3 prior to RSIFF hosting the MENA Premiere. (Only if the film is selected by the festival selection committee to be screened at the festival).
COMPLETION OF THE FILM AND PAYMENT OF THE FUND

  • The film must be completed at the latest within six (6) months of signing the Red Sea Fund Agreement. In the event that the film will not be completed within these six (6) months, the applicant must notify The Red Sea Fund in writing of such delay providing details and demonstrating reasons for the delay and expected completion date. The Red Sea Fund holds the right, at its sole discretion, to grant an extension to the applicant or cancel its participation in the project and receive reimbursement of the funding in its entirety.

    The payment schedule will be more clearly described in the Red Sea Fund Agreement, but following is a general description that may help successful applicants to plan their cash flow.

    1) The first payment, of eighty percent (80%), will be forty five (45) days after the execution of the Red Sea Fund Agreement.
    2) The second and final payment, of twenty percent (20%), will be issued upon submission and acceptance of:

    • The final delivered version of the film
    • Fulfilment of all contractual obligations
    • A final cost report
UNSUCCESSFUL PROJECTS AND RE-SUBMISSION

  • Projects that have been unsuccessful in their application to the Post-production Cycle are not eligible for resubmitting.

LEGAL
  • Red Sea International Film Festival Foundation (“The Foundation”) is the owner and organizer of the Red Sea International Film Festival (“RSIFF”). Red Sea Fund is an initiative of The Foundation. References to ‘we’, ‘us’, and ‘our’, are references to The Foundation.
  • During the submission, selection period and prior to the execution of the Red Sea Fund Agreement, in the event that the applicant is found to be in violation of any condition of the Rules and Regulations or any of the Red Sea Fund’s conditions for eligibility, we at our sole discretion, may choose to cancel and eliminate such project from the applications or the selection Red Sea Fund project list.
  • We will, in our sole discretion, decide on all issues and matters not foreseen by these Rules and Regulations and any of Red Sea Fund’s conditions and we reserve the right to update and/or cancel any or any part of these Rules & Regulations or any of Red Sea Fund’s conditions with no obligation to specifically contact or notify any applicant of any variation.
  • The law applicable to the Rules and Regulations and to disputes arising out of the Rules and Regulations are the federal laws of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Disputes arising in connection with these Rules and Regulations shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Saudi Arabia.
  • The applicant also understands and acknowledges that the Red Sea Fund Online Application and the present Rules and Regulations form a consolidated and unified document.
  • Participation in Red Sea Fund and submission of the Red Sea Fund Online Application implies acceptance of these Rule and Regulations. It is the responsibility of the applicants or other authorized representatives submitting a project to ensure that they are lawfully entitled to enter a project in Red Sea Fund.
  • The applicant hereby represents and warrants that he/she holds all rights in and to the project and its related materials and that he/she has the authority and capacity to submit the project and its related material for Red Sea Fund.
  • Except as stated in the Rules and Regulations, the applicant acknowledges that we shall not be held liable or responsible in any manner whatsoever for any loss or damage of whatever type or nature incurred as a result of the submission, acceptance and/or funding the project. Furthermore, the applicant undertakes to indemnify and keep us indemnified against all liabilities, claims, demands, actions, costs, damages or loss arising out of the submission, acceptance and/or funding the project.