The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF) has revealed full details of the projects selected as part of this year’s Red Sea Souk Market which will run from 2-5 December, highlighting the diverse range of talent representing the MENA region’s bold new cinematic output. A part of the Souk will be the 360° industry events program and Networking Session which will encourage international delegates to share experiences and insights during exclusive forums. The Souk will finish with Talent Days from 6-7 December giving new regional talent and short filmmakers a chance to connect with industry experts.
Shivani Pandya Malhotra, Managing Director, said: “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 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.
Within the Market selection are twelve Red Sea Lodge projects which were developed during the year through intensive workshops and in partnership with the Torino Film Lab. Four of these projects will be awarded the annual Red Sea Lodge production prizes of $50,000 each.
14 projects in the Souk Project Market will compete for cash prizes 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.
To complement this, the Work-in-Progress Showcase will take six films by exceptional independent filmmakers, all at the stage of post-production, and present them to distributors, producers, buyers, financiers and festival programmers, for 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.
All the listed cash awards are offered by the Red Sea Fund.
Participating projects are also eligible for additional awards funded by the Red Sea Souk sponsors and partners.
The Red Sea 360° industry events programme will bring together international film professionals and invite them to connect with Souk audiences through a series of workshops, panels and sessions. The Red Sea 360° creates a vibrant platform that will offer up to 15 inspiring conversations with unparalleled insights to the present and future of the Arab, African and Asian film industries, including their far-reaching impact on the global entertainment landscape.
The over-arching program will bring together some of the most influential and thought-provoking voices from the regional and international industry.
Speakers will include:
- Karim Zreik (Entertainment Industry Veteran – USA)
- Tima Al Shomali (Writer, Director – Jordan)
- Woo-Sik Seo (Producer at Barunson C&C – South Korea)
- Malek Nejer (Animation Director at Myrkott- KSA)
- Diego Ramírez Schrempp (Producer at Dynamo – Colombia), with more contributors to be confirmed.
Three accompanying Networking Sessions will introduce festival attendees and filmmakers to a large roster of professionals through a series of structured, informal speed-meeting sessions. Regional and international key players will offer guidance and support, catering to filmmakers’ career development.
Talent Days is a series of workshops connecting new Saudi and international talent to global industry professionals. Valuable insights and perspectives will be shared, while new connections may be established to drive the next generation of the filmmakers. Notable figures from prestigious institutions will attend, including the Tribeca Film Festival, Amman Film Industry Days, La Biennale di Venezia, Netflix, Neom, Red Sea Fund and the Doha Film Institute. This confluence of industry experts encompasses a strong mentoring component at its core.
Access to 360°, Networking Sessions and Talent Days are open to all Red Sea International Film Festival badge holders.
Accreditation for Red Sea Souk 2023 is open at: https://redseafilmfest.com/en/red-sea-souk/
PROJECT MARKET JURY
Wael Abumansour – Producer/Director, Telfaz 11, Saudi Arabia
Carnival City (2020) by Wael Abumansour – selected for 1st edition of Red Sea IFF
Night Courier by Ali Kalthami (2023) Selected at 3rd edition of Red Sea IFF and presented at the Red Sea Souk Project Market in 2021
Jean Bréhat – Producer, Tessalit Productions, France
Produced 45 films with 11 official entries for the Academy Awards and 4 nominations; 12 awards at Cannes Film Festival, 2 Grand Prizes, 1 Berlinale Silver Bear including:
France (2021) by Bruno Dumont (Cannes)
Joan of Arc (2019) by Bruno Dumont (Un Certain Regard Special Mention Cannes)
Belleville Cop (2018) by Rachid Bouchareb
Lamia Chraibi – Producer, La Prod, Morocco
Mica (2020) by Ismael Ferroukhi (Festival du Film Francophone Angouleme 2020)
Achoura (2018) by Talal Selhami’s (Best Film Award at Hardline Festival and Jury Special Mention Sitges Fantastic Film Festival)
Las Mimosas (2016) by Oliver Laxe (Grand Prize, Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week)
Oumar Sall – Producer, Cinekap, Senegal
Atlantique (2019) by Mati Diop (Jury Prize Cannes Film Festival, shortlisted for Academy Awards 2020).
Félicité (2017) by Alain Gomis (Jury Prize La Berlinale 2017, Second Golden Stallion at FESPACO 2017, shortlisted for Academy Awards 2018)
Tey (2013) by Alain Gomis (first Golden Stallion of Senegal FESPACO 2013)
Jasmila Žbanić – Producer/Director, Deblokada, Bosnia
Grbavica (2006) by Jasmila Žbanić (Golden Bear on Berlinale 2006, Best film at American Film Institute (AFI)
Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020) by Jasmila Žbanić (Venice Film Festival, Independent Spirit Awards – Best International Film; European Film Academy Award – Best film, director and main actress – Academy Award nominee in 2021
WORKS IN PROGRESS SHOWCASE JURY
Gaia Fürrer – Artistic Director, Italy.
Since 2003 Head of Programming at the Noir in Festival. Programmer and Head of Programming since the very first edition, in 2020 she was appointed as the new Artistic Director of Giornate degli Autori (Venice Days)
Wanuri Kahiu – Filmmaker/Speaker/Science fiction writer, Kenya
Washington Black (2022 – Hulu/20th Century Fox) Adaptation of the book by Esi Edugyan.
Look Both Ways (2022 – Netflix)
Rafiki (2018) – first Kenyan film to be invited to Cannes Film Festival and has since won multiple awards across the world
Haider Rashid – Writer/Director/Producer, Iraq/Italy
Europa (2020) by Haider Rashid (Independent Critics Prize – Director’s Fortnight Best Director and Best Actor Red Sea IFF)
Street Opera (2015)
It’s About to Rain (2013)
SELECTED PROJECTS:
The Red Sea Souk Project Market
A CHILDHOOD, by Scandar Copti
Hybrid 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
1st feature
Central African Republic, France, Republic of Congo
SELFLESS, by Meriem Mesraoua
1st feature
Algeria, France, Qatar
TANZANITE, by Kantarama Gahigiri
1st 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
THREE DAYS 1/3, by Rakan Mayasi
1st feature
Palestine, Lebanon, USA, Belgium
WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES, I SEE YOUR EYES, by Sameh Alaa
1st feature
Egypt
The Red Sea Lodge Projects
AN ENDLESS NIGHT, by Mohamed Kassaby
1st feature
Egypt
BLACK SNAKE, by Naishe Nyamubaya
1st feature
Zimbabwe
BY HASNAA’S SIDE, by Amaal Youssif
1st feature
Saudi Arabia
FANTASTIC TALE, by Vincho Nchogu
1st feature
Nigeria
IN THE BEGINNING, IT IS THE END by Ghadeer Binabbas
Saudi Arabia
MECCA, BERLIN, by Mujtaba Saeed & Ghiath Al Mhitawi
1st feature
Saudi Arabia/ UAE/Germany
MY FATHER KILLED BOURGUIBA, by Fatma Riahi & Louai Haffar
2nd feature Documentary
Tunis/Qatar
TEMPORARY LIVES, by Wessam Hachicho
1st feature
France/Norway/Syria
THE GIRL AND THE MISSING BED, by Samer Battikhi
1st feature
Jordan/Lebanon
THE MIDDLE ONE, by Sarah Almuneef
1st feature
Saudi Arabia/France
THE NIGHT WHISPERER, by Lina Mahmoud
1st feature
Saudi Arabia
THE SUN SEES EVERYTHING, by Wissam Tanios
2nd feature
Lebanon
The Red Sea Souk Work-In-Progress Showcase
ANIMALE, by Emma Benestan
Algeria, France, Belgium
MEN IN THE SUN, by Mahdi Fleifel
Palestine, UK, Greece, The Netherlands, France, Germany
MY SEMBA, by Hugo Salvaterra
1st Feature
Angola
RED PATH, by Lotfi Achour
Tunisia, France, Belgium, Poland
RISING UP AT NIGHT, by Nelson Makengo
1st Feature, Creative Documentary
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Belgium, Germany, Burkina Faso
YUNAN, by Ameer Fakher Eldin
Palestine, Germany, Canada, Italy, Jordan
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