RSL Terms And Conditions

Home
>
RSL Terms And Conditions

RSL Terms And Conditions

The Red Sea Lodge nurtures the next generation of filmmakers from Saudi and the Arab world, in partnership with TorinoFilmLab.

After a successful second edition, the Lodge returns in 2022, bigger and better than ever. The intensive 10-month programme (duration is subject to change depending on the to-be-announced Festival dates and the global health situation) is for emerging filmmakers on their first or second feature; more established names with truly daring new concepts and approaches will also be considered. The Lodge is open to teams from Saudi Arabia and the Arab world, working on a feature film project at any stage of development. In 2022, the programme will include five workshops, two of which are residentials in Jeddah (arrangement of in-person workshops is subject to the global health situation).

Following the intensive development process, teams will have the opportunity to pitch at the Festival’s project market, and compete for the Red Sea Lodge Production Awards, two prizes of 100,000$, and an Arab Premier at the Red Sea International Film Festival.

Additional funding opportunities for Saudi and Arab films will also be available. More information will be provided by the Red Sea Souk, so keep an eye out on our social.

Following the programme, teams will have a fully developed project including a logline, synopsis, treatment and script, plus budget, director’s statement, producer’s note, production and post-production schedule, financing strategy, financing plan, and a pre-recorded pitch.

Each team will understand the process of project development and will be equipped with the necessary skills to fully realize this and future projects. With the confidence to work effectively in the international marketplace, the Lodge provides Arab filmmakers with the insight to move their careers to the next level and get their films made.

A maximum of 12 project teams will be selected, at least 6 of which will be Saudi, with the remainder from across the Arab world. A project qualifies as a Saudi project if it has a Saudi director, telling a Saudi story, and will be shot entirely or partly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A project qualifies as an Arab project if it has an Arab national/origin director, telling an Arab story, and will be shot entirely or partly in an Arab country/ community/ context.

Deadline for applications is Friday, 11^th of February 2022, at 11:59 PM KSA time.

Full terms, conditions, and application requirements are outlined below. For further information contact: rsl.office@redseafilmfest.com

Who Can Apply?

Applications must be made in teams, comprising:
1. A writer-director and producer or
2. Director, writer and producer

The director should be of Saudi nationality/origin or of Arab nationality/origin.
Preference will be given to projects with producers and screenwriters of Arab nationality/origin, but projects with team members of other nationalities will be considered, provided the director is of Arab nationality/origin.
Aimed at first or second-time feature directors, applications from more established voices will be considered if they demonstrate daring new ideas and approaches.
The producer needs to have demonstrable production experience.
A screenwriter must have experience of realized scripts in any form, including shorts, TV, web series, or theatre.
The team must confirm their full availability for all five workshop sessions as per the schedule outlined below, as well as at the Red Sea International Film Festival once dates are announced.
The working language of the workshops, meetings, and events is English; therefore, a good knowledge of English is preferred. However, should an applicant need Arabic translation, they should advise the Red Sea Lodge, so arrangements can be made accordingly.

What kind of film project?

Arab projects, directed by an Arab director with an Arab story.
Saudi projects should be directed by a Saudi director, with a Saudi story, and will be shot entirely or partly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Submissions can be for any film form – fiction, creative documentary, experimental animation, or any other.
Considering the prize award is $100,000, the producers must be able to demonstrate suggested funding for the remainder.

The Programme:

Selected participants will follow an intensive project development programme scheduled across 10-months (duration is subject to change depending on the to-be-announced Festival dates and the global health situation). The programme will explore projects from all perspectives including script consultations and work with experts in the fields of directing, cinematography, sound editing, post-production, financing and sales, and audience engagement. Producers will enjoy a dedicated programme tailored for their development.
All training will take the form of group and one-to-one sessions, and include presentations, masterclasses, screenings and case studies.
All team members must be committed to participating in the full duration of the training, including attendance at all sessions, meeting the demands of the programme as outlined by mentors and course moderators, as well as making themselves available to work on their projects between workshops and meeting the required deadlines.

The selected 12 project teams will attend five workshops, three taking place online and two taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (arrangement of in-person workshops is subject to the global health situation).

Workshop One \ Project Development Part I – An introduction to the programme, the tutors and project teams. Exploring dramatic potential of the projects; an overview of the role and business of the producer.

When? 22nd of March to 29^th of March – Friday Off

Where? Online

Following the completion of this workshop, participants will be given assignments to continue developing their projects for a deadline in advance of the next workshop.

Workshop Two | Project Development Part II – Feedback on updated project documents and introduction to the fundamentals of being a producer.

When? 30th of May – 6th of June – Friday Off

Where? In person (arrangement of in-person workshops is subject to the global health situation).

Following the workshop, participants will continue to work on their treatments/scripts and production documents for a deadline in advance of the next workshop.

Workshop Three | Visualization – taking the script from the page to the screen working with film professionals including directors and cinematographers to understand how to visually realize the script. Producing programme and script development work continues

When? 19^th of July to 25^th of July – Friday Off

Where? Online

Participants continue to work on the scripts, production documents and materials for the Red Sea International Film Festival catalogue.

Workshop Four | Production and Post-Production, participants have the opportunity to discuss their projects with editors, sound-designers and post-production specialists. Producing programme and script development work continues.

When? 17^thof September – 22^nd of September

Where? Online

Following this session, participants will have the opportunity to update their script and project dossier to submit them for award consideration.

Workshop Five | Festival preparation, getting ready for pitching and meeting industry professionals before launching your project at the Red Sea Souk.

When? TBC depending on the confirmed dates of the Red Sea International Film Festival.

Where? Jeddah, KSA

Outcomes

By the end of the Lodge, the teams will have all the necessary documents to approach potential regional and international partners towards realizing their feature film project.
All participants will have an in-depth understanding of the project development process from creative, production and marketing perspectives, and will have developed skills and knowledge that they will be able to utilize on all future projects.
At the end of the Lodge programme, teams will present their projects to an audience of international producers, sales agents, and other film industry professionals at the Red Sea International Film Festival.
During the Festival, the teams will also have one-on-one meetings with key decision makers and will gain visibility through the Souk Book of Projects and network.
Two winning teams will receive an award of $100,000 each. These awards will be announced during the Festival.
A committee of jurors will select the winning projects.

Acknowledgement & Credits:

1.Projects that are developed at the Red Sea Lodge:

Are committed to crediting the Red Sea Lodge in the film’s opening credits and verbally acknowledge the Lodge at festivals, in awards speeches, or in any press engagements where the film is discussed.
Will have their GCC premiere at the Red Sea International Film Festival.

2.Projects that win the Red Sea Lodge award and cash prize, or if they win any awards from the Red Sea Lodge’s Partners:

The winning project will give the Red Sea Lodge co-producer credit.
Award winners from Red Sea Lodge official partners will list the Red Sea Lodge as co-producer.
Award winners will have their Arab premiere at the Red Sea International Film Festival.

Documents required to apply to the Red Sea Lodge – to be presented in English. If documents are written in Arabic, a translated copy to English should be submitted alongside the original one. If your script is written in Arabic, submit it as is, however, you might be asked to translate it—or a part of it—at a later stage.

Synopsis (1,000 characters with space).

Treatment (5–10 pages, a maximum of 18,000 characters) that fully outlines the narrative of the project.

Director’s vision represented by a mood board, a project-book (pages of a storyboard, a color script, a series of drawings or photographs) or by a video (a maximum of 3 minutes). These should visually complement the written concept, and elucidate the project through images.

Biography and filmography of the director, writer and producer. The biography is a general written description about a person’s career and accomplishments. The filmography must comprise: all previous works including the title, year, length of the film, genre (documentary or fiction) and role in the production.

Casting idea (1 page, a maximum of 1,800 characters).

Budget sheet.

Financial plan; the producers must include a financial strategy document which demonstrates additional guaranteed funding sources for the remainder.

Production company profile.

Introductory video by the director; a video message from the director presenting themselves and their work (a maximum of 3 minutes) in English or Arabic (if in Arabic, subtitles must be provided.)

Audience engagement plan (1,800 characters), which describes how to create audience awareness through online communities.

Producer-director agreement; a signed document between the producer and the director.

List of training courses and events where the project has previously circulated.

Director’s intention.
Script (optional); it is not necessary to have a script for the project to be considered by the Red Sea Lodge, but if one is already written, a copy may be submitted in English or Arabic. In the initial stages of the programme, participants will work in treatment form, so please ensure that your treatment is a good reflection of your script if you have one.