There are 12 rising filmmakers presenting their projects at the Souk, developed over the past year through the Red Sea Labs’ Feature Films Program.
From Saudi Arabia, the wider Arab region, Africa and Asia, 12 up-and-coming filmmakers will pitch their projects at the Red Sea Souk in Jeddah. This week marks the final stage of the sixth edition of the Red Sea Labs’ Feature Films Program.
The projects have been developed over the past 12 months, undergoing intensive workshops, script sessions and one-on-one mentorship with international experts. The selection includes Green Corpse, Saudi filmmaker Khaled Zidan’s debut following his award-winning short Mera, Mera, Mera, winner of the Golden Palm at Saudi Film Festival and a jury award at Malmo Arab Film Festival.
Also taking part is Price Of Evil from Norwegian-Somali-Sudanese filmmaker Ibrahim Mursal, known for his documentary The Art Of Sin, which won the 2020 Nordic/Docs award for best documentary (30‑60 minutes); and The Daughter, the debut feature from Beijing-based filmmaker Tian Guan, whose short The Poison Cat premiered last year at Venice Film Festival.
Formerly known as The Lodge, the initiative has been rebranded as the Feature Films Program – a change that Ryan Ashore, director of Red Sea Labs, describes as overdue.
“The Lodge was often confusing for many people. But when we changed it to the Feature Films Program, the name began to speak for itself,” he explains.
Red Sea Labs continues to host the programme alongside other initiatives, such as the Series Lab and Directors’ Lab.
The 12 projects in the Feature Films Program compete for the same prizes as the 12 film projects in development participating at the Red Sea Souk Project Market.
Prizes include the Red Sea Souk Development Award ($25,000), Production Awards ($50,000 and $80,000), the Jury Special Mention Award ($15,000) and the Breakthrough Award for a debut director ($20,000).
The Red Sea Labs’ Feature Films Program is held in collaboration with TorinoFilmLab and supported by Film AlUla.
Meet the 12 Red Sea Feature Films Program Projects 2025
A Time To Wander (Tunisia)
Dir/scr: Rim Nakhli
Prod: Habib Mestiri
Rim Nakhli’s feature debut follows 18-year-old Chadia in Tunis as she searches for her brother. The journey complicates her relationship with her boyfriend and his childhood friend, exploring themes of love, jealousy and the transition into adulthood. Produced by veteran Tunisian producer Habib Mestiri, A Time To Wander has participated in Talents Durban, Meditalents, La Fabrique Cinéma at Cannes and Red Sea Labs. Nakhli’s short Nour (2020) played at Locarno and AFI Fest.
The Daughter (Hong Kong-Taiwan-Fr)
Dir/scr: Tian Guan
Prod/scr: Vivian Bao
Beijing-based writer and director Tian Guan gained recognition with his short film The Poison Cat, which premiered at Venice Film Festival last year. His debut feature The Daughter, a supernatural drama, examines generational trauma, reproductive control and the clash between tradition and state mandates. It is set in a remote village and follows 16-year-old Gui, who is forced into pregnancy by pro-birth policies. She discovers the foetus she carries is a vengeful spirit seeking rebirth, which leads her to confront her mother’s dark legacy. Co-written and produced by Vivian Bao, the project has been selected for events including the Red Sea Labs and the Asian Project Market in Busan, while winning three awards at the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum.
Dhel (Saudi)
Dir/scr: Dania Altayeb
Scr: Waad Janbi
Supernatural drama Dhel follows a Saudi artist retreating to an isolated residency in AlUla, where a cursed paintbrush awakens a ghostly muse and forces her to confront her destructive legacy. Blending psychological horror with themes of grief and identity, the film explores the struggle to break a generational curse. Writer/director Dania Altayeb has participated in programmes including the Netflix Lab 6x6 programme and the MEMI Summer Flagship Program at the University of Southern California. Co-writer Waad Janbi, a trained screenwriter and script supervisor, teaches at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, with a focus on feminist storytelling and identity.
Green Corpse (Saudi)
Dir/scr: Khaled Zidan
Prod: Bakr Alduhaim
Khaled Zidan’s debut follows 18-year-old Malek, a sprinter in Jazan who struggles with his father’s khat smuggling and a multi-generational family curse. Zidan, from southern Saudi Arabia, has directed award-winning shorts including Mera, Mera, Mera and Othman. Producer Bakr Alduhaim, founder of Vues Consultancy & Film Production, has a track record of connecting Saudi cinema with global audiences.
Nkanai (Kenya)
Dir/scr: Bruno Tanya
Prod: Audrey Tanya
Nkanai, the Samburu’s first female warrior, endures a life-changing injury but refuses exile, embarking on a perilous journey across northern Kenya with a haunted tracker, facing bandits and betrayal to reclaim her dignity and home. Bruno Tanya, co-founder of Jenga Visuals, is known for authentic storytelling. His feature Bobo premiered this year at Joburg Film Festival and streamed on Showmax. Producer Audrey Tanya, also co-founder of Jenga, focuses on African narratives that amplify women’s voices, with credits including Visasi, Stinger and My Little Warrior.
Positive (Saudi)
Dir/scr: Hanaa Saleh Alfassi
Scr: Hanaa Hijazi
Prod: Sue-Ellen Chitunya
Hamed, a nurse from Taif, discovers he is HIV-positive just before marrying Faiza, a surgeon from Jeddah. As they face social stigma and explore spiritual therapies in Medina and Mecca, they discover true healing goes beyond physical cures. Writer, director and producer Hanaa Saleh Alfassi brings more than 20 years of experience across film and TV, winning best unproduced screenplay for Ashgar at the 2022 Saudi Film Festival. Co-writer Hanaa Hijazi is a Saudi physician and novelist, and producer Sue-Ellen Chitunya is a Zimbabwean Ampas member.
Price Of Evil (Sudan-Nor)
Dir/scr: Ibrahim Mursal
Prod: Jonas Bruun
Ahmed must decide the fate of his grandfather’s murderer under Sudanese law – facing the options of prison, forgiveness or the death penalty – in a story that explores the burden of unwanted power and moral compromise. Ibrahim Mursal, a Norwegian-Somali-Sudanese filmmaker, gained acclaim for his debut documentary The Art Of Sin (2020) and shorts Connections and Set-Pieces. Price Of Evil is his debut feature, produced by Jonas Bruun (Humanity On Trial), co-founder of Storm Films’ Skala talent initiative that supports emerging filmmakers.
Salma And The Moon And The Stars (Saudi)
Dir/scr: Maram Taibah
Prod: Farah Jouni
In this fantasy tale, 11-year-old Salma accidentally unleashes a fairy-tale villain who kidnaps her older sister, sending Salma on a magical journey through a realm of jinn, mystical tribes and hidden dangers to rescue her sister. It is directed by Jeddah-based filmmaker Maram Taibah, whose Malika won best Canadian short film at Toronto Arab Film Festival this year and screened at Red Sea. The project is produced by Farah Jouni, co-founder of We The Loft, part of Saudi’s emerging audiovisual scene.
Street Education (Saudi)
Dir/scr: Yaser B
Prod: Amal Alsenan
Set in Riyadh in 2018, Street Education follows Amal as she fights to protect her sister’s reputation with the help of streetwise drifter Rakan, but their plans to trap a blackmailer spiral into chaos. Yaser B co-directed the award-winning feature Junoon (2021), which premiered at Red Sea. Producer Amal Alsenan, a Saudi graduate of Penn State university in the US, began her career in Los Angeles before working with studios such as Disney and Marvel.
To Catch A Falling Sky (Nigeria-UK)
Dir/scr: Cheta Chukwu
Prod: Sheila Nortley
During the Nigerian Civil War in the 1960s, Obiageri, a brilliant but childless Igbo woman, must navigate her husband’s decision to take a second wife, forcing her to choose between resentment and an unthinkable alliance as the country collapses around them. Directed by Cheta Chukwu (Nigerian comedy drama Payday), To Catch A Falling Sky is produced by UK-based Sheila Nortley, who has credits including the Bafta TV-nominated series Supacell and Stay Close for Netflix.
Unholy (Indonesia)
Dir: M Reza Fahriyansyah
Scr: Sofia Lo
Prod: Amerta Kusuma
Unholy follows Fahri, a sensitive teenager at a remote Islamic boarding school, whose secret nighttime photographs of his best friend Jejen reveal unacknowledged feelings. Their friendship crumbles when the pictures are discovered, and Fahri seeks solace in a charismatic teacher. M Reza Fahriyansyah draws on his own boarding school experiences to explore themes of adolescent longing and confusion. It is written by Sofia Lo, a seasoned commercial writer, and produced by Amerta Kusuma of Jakarta’s KawanKawan Media.
Veil Whispers (China)
Dir/scr: Iris Lanhua Ma
Prod: Aihui Dong
Veil Whispers, a supernatural drama that reimagines the Orpheus mythology through an East Asian lens, follows Liu, a grieving Chinese mother who journeys into the underworld to retrieve her son after his death by suicide. The project sees writer/director Iris Lanhua Ma explore maternal guilt, inherited trauma and the limits of love. Her debut feature Who Is Afraid Of Writing Class? received a Unicef special award. Veil Whispers is produced by Aihui Dong, who has worked on films that have been selected for the Berlinale and Venice.
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