{"id":51918,"date":"2025-09-03T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redseafilmfest.com\/?post_type=press&p=51918"},"modified":"2025-09-02T23:25:34","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T23:25:34","slug":"the-red-sea-film-foundation-brings-arab-stories-to-tiff","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/redseafilmfest.com\/en\/press\/the-red-sea-film-foundation-brings-arab-stories-to-tiff\/","title":{"rendered":"The Red Sea Film Foundation Brings Arab Stories To TIFF"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Six Red Sea FF Supported Films Screening at Toronto International Film Festival<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Red Sea Film Foundation (Red Sea FF) is presenting a dynamic line-up for this year\u2019s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Six Red Sea supported films are screening at the festival, including: Damien Hauser\u2019s Memory of Princess Mumbi<\/em>, Momoko Seto\u2019s Dandelion\u2019s Odyssey<\/em>, and Mohamed Al-Daradji\u2019s Irkalla: Gilgamesh’s Dream<\/em> in TIFF\u2019s Centrepiece programme; Ghost School<\/em> by Seemab Gull and Sink <\/em>by Zain Duraie in the Discovery section; and Palestine 36 <\/em>by Annemarie Jacir for a Gala screening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zain Duraie\u2019s debut feature Sink<\/em> is a powerful portrait of a mother struggling with her son\u2019s unravelling mental state, and was supported by all stages of Red Sea FF\u2019s film incubation and funding ecosystem: having been developed at the Feature Films Program (formerly known as The Lodge), taking part in the Souk and supported by the Fund. Also supported by the Red Sea\u2019s Fund and Souk, <\/em>Memory of Princess Mumbi<\/em>, directed by Damien Hauser, is set in Umata, a futuristic African country, and recounts a love triangle between a film director, an aspiring actress, and a prince.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further Souk supported title Momoko Seto\u2019s Dandelion\u2019s Odyssey<\/em> follows four dandelion achenes as they escape the nuclear destruction of Earth. Receiving support from the Red Sea Fund is Palestine 36 <\/em>by Annemarie Jacir, which charts the lives and ambitions of those living under British rule in the 1930s; Seemab Gull\u2019s Ghost School<\/em>, which follows ten\u2011year\u2011old Rabia as she defies rural superstition and bureaucratic neglect to uncover why her school abruptly closed; and Irkalla: Gilgamesh’s Dream <\/em>by Mohamed Al-Daradji, a heartbreaking epic tale about war orphans trying to survive in a completely destroyed city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, Saudi producer and Red Sea FF\u2019s CEO Faisal Baltyuor is participating in TIFF\u2019s industry programme, appearing on a panel exploring how films from the Middle East and North Africa are making waves on the global stage \u2013 earning festival acclaim, driving co-productions, and attracting international buyers. The panel brings together key producers and filmmakers to share how they are navigating today\u2019s marketplace, positioning their work globally, and leveraging regional stories for international success, and features Baltyuor alongside filmmakers Seyhmus Altun (As We Breathe<\/em>), Zain Duraie (Sink<\/em>), and Haifaa Al Mansour (Unidentified<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faisal Baltyuor, CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation, said: \u201cSeeing so many Red Sea-supported films selected across TIFF\u2019s prestigious programming is a powerful moment for the Foundation, and it highlights how strategic investment in, and championing of regional talent can create world-class cinema with global resonance. These six films reflect the caliber of creative talent and ambition of the filmmakers we support, as well as the diversity of the stories coming out of the region \u2013 from motherhood and family to explorations of nature and the far-distant future. We\u2019re committed to continuing to nurture storytellers from the Arab world and beyond, and helping them reach international audiences is an incredible privilege.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fifth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival will run from 4\u201313 December 2025 in the historic district of Al Balad, Jeddah.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Six Red Sea FF Supported Films Screening at Toronto International Film Festival The Red Sea Film Foundation (Red Sea FF) is presenting a dynamic line-up for this year\u2019s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Six Red Sea supported films are screening at the festival, including: Damien Hauser\u2019s Memory of Princess Mumbi, Momoko Seto\u2019s Dandelion\u2019s Odyssey, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":51919,"template":"","class_list":["post-51918","press","type-press","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redseafilmfest.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press\/51918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redseafilmfest.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redseafilmfest.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redseafilmfest.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redseafilmfest.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}