- Red Sea Souk Returns With Five Days Of Unparalleled Opportunities For Filmmakers And Creatives.
- Red Sea Souk Brings Together 142 Exhibitors From 32 Countries.
- Top Global Industry Leaders Headline Souk Talks To Enrich Perspectives On Cinema.
The Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) has announced its full industry programme. Running from December 7th to 11th, 2024, in Jeddah’s vibrant Al Balad district, this year’s expanded five-day program offers an exceptional line-up of activities bringing together new talent, emerging filmmakers and established regional and international industry leaders for a series of events, talks and networking opportunities. The Red Sea Souk activities will take place alongside the growing marketplace which features 142 exhibitors from 32 countries this year.
Shivani Pandya Malhotra, RSIFF’s Managing Director, said: “The Souk is a vital part of the RSIFF experience, serving as a hub for collaboration, innovation, and opportunity. This year, we are more committed than ever to creating an environment where filmmakers, producers, and industry professionals can come together to share knowledge, forge meaningful connections, and shape the future of cinema. We are excited to present this year’s events and thankful to our partners and contributors who continue support our ambition to become the premier film market in the region.”
Souk Talks will bring together international film professionals and invite them to connect with Souk audiences through a series of panel sessions. The Talks programme is a vibrant platform that has been curated in collaboration with CAA and is designed with producers at the core of its focus. It will offer inspiring conversations with unparalleled insights to the present and future of the Arab, African, Asian and global film industries, including their far-reaching impact on the global entertainment landscape.
Speakers will include Glen Basner (FilmNation – USA), Diana Williams, (Kinetic Energy Entertainment- USA), Seb Shorr (Fremantle – UK), Toni Kamau (We Are Not The Machine – Kenya), Ritesh Sidhwani (Excel Entertainment – India), Vincent Maraval (Wild Bunch International – France) Tima Shomali, (Producer, Director, Actor – Jordan) and Jeongin Hong (Plus M Entertainment – South Korea).
The accompanying Souk Talents programme will connect new and emerging Saudi and international talent to global industry professionals through a series of inspiring talks, hands-on workshops, and mentorship opportunities. Focus areas include film criticism, acting, smartphone filmmaking, film analysis, and marketing, and Saudi filmmakers will also have the opportunity to pitch their short film projects to industry professionals, with a chance to win mentoring and script editing support for their projects. Guest speakers at this year’s edition of Souk Talents will include Thierry Frémaux, Pauline Seigland, Ahmed Shawky, Mathias Noschis, Bassam Alasad and many other surprises.
Inspire! Labs programme at the Red Sea Film Festival will offer events that empower filmmakers with unique perspectives in film, episodic storytelling, animation, and gaming. The intimate sessions will connect participants with global industry experts to demystify the creative process, foster talent development, and spark the imagination of participants.
The Souk Awards will be decided by this year’s Project Market Juries:
PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT JURY
Elisa Fernanda Pirir, Producer,STÆR – CALLS FROM MOSCOW; THE HYPNOSIS; EVERYBODY LOVES TOUDA (2024); THE NIGHTS STILL SMELL OF GUNPOWDER (2024);
Georges Schoucair, Producer, Abbout Productions – FÉLICITÉ (2017), WAJIB (2017), RAFIKI (2018), BEAUTY & THE DOGS (2018), IT MUST BE HEAVEN (2019), A SON (2019)
Louise Bellicaud, Producer, In Vivo Films – ABOU LEILA (2019), DOS ESTACIONES (2022), UN VARON (2022), LEVANTE (2023), HORIZONTE (2024)
WORKS IN PROGRESS SHOWCASE JURY
Martika Ramirez Escobar, Filmmaker/ Cinematographer, Philippines. Escobar’s first feature film LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE had its world premiere at Sundance and won the Special Jury Award for Innovative Spirit.
Christophe Leparc, Managing Director of Quinzaine des Cinéastes and Head of Cinemed, Mediterranean Film Festival
Fyzal Boulifa, Director/ Screenwriter, UK/Morocco. Boulifa has created a number of short films, including THE CURSE (2012) and RATE ME (2015) and two features: LYNN + LUCY (2020) and THE DAMNED DON’T CRY (2023). He has recently co-written Mahdi Fleifel’s TO A LAND UNKNOWN (2024).
SERIESLAB JURY
Diego Ramírez Schrempp
Executive producer on FALCO, winner of an International Emmy award in 2019. Co-creator and showrunner on GREEN FRONTIER one of Colombia’s first original series for Netflix. Production supervisor on NARCOS and co-creator and showrunner on LA CABEZA DE JOAQUÍN MURRIETA Executive producer on ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE for Netflix.
Jennifer Chen
Jennifer Chen is the head of Channel Zero Studios. Previously, Jennifer served as VP of Programming for Channel Zero’s suite of Canadian broadcasting networks. Her production credits include THE PUZZLE LADY, BOOT CAMP, WYNONNA EARP (Season 1), and THE PINKERTONS.
Nadia Tabbara
Screenwriter and creativity coach who has produced more than four regional TV series and her show AWAKE is the only Lebanese TV series that has ever been broadcast across all continents, most recently picked up by ARTE. She wrote and directed a fictionalized short film in the Internationally Emmy nominated series BEIRUT: 607.
The Red Sea Souk will be based in Al Balad’s Culture Square, as part of the Festival’s commitment to complete cinematic immersion, including industry screenings in the new cinema palais that provide an ideal opportunity for participating films to seek sales, distribution and future festival participation opportunities. Access to the Souk is open to all Red Sea International Film Festival badge holders. The Red Sea Souk 2024 is supported by Saudia Arabia’s Cultural Development Fund and by Neom.
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