Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) has selected 26 feature film projects for its Red Sea Souk Project Market; plus a Work-in-Progress showcase, and speakers for its 360° industry events programme.
The 26 Souk projects hail from Africa and the Arab region. Titles include Djeliya, Memory Of Manding, a documentary from Burkinabe filmmaker Boubacar Sangare, whose third film A Golden Life played at the Berlinale earlier this year.
Scroll down for the full list of projects
Also included is Scandar Copti’s animated documentary A Childhood, a Palestine-France co-production. Copti’s debut feature Ajami, co-directed with Yaron Shani, was nominated for best international feature (then named best foreign- language film) at the 2010 Oscars.
Fourteen of the 26 projects are debut features; and 12 of the 26 have been developed through a year-long Red Sea Lodge workshop, in partnership with TorinoFilmLab. Four of those 12 will be awarded Red Sea Lodge production prizes of $50,000 each.
The 26 projects will compete for three Red Sea Fund cash prizes: $35,000 for development, $25,000 jury special mention and $100,000 production. The awards will be distributed by a jury consisting of director-producers Jasmila Zbanic from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Wael Abumansour from Saudi Arabia, with producers Jean Brehat from France, Lamia Chraibi from Morocco and Oumar Sall from Senegal.
Six films in post-production will present to distributors, producers, buyers, financiers and programmers in the Work-In-Progress Showcase, with titles including Mahdi Fleifel’s Men In The Sun. Two Works-In-Progress awards – a $30,000 post-production award and a $10,000 special jury mention – will be given by a jury consisting of Giornate degli Autori artistic director Gaia Furrer, Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahi, and Iraqi filmmaker Haider Rashid.
The festival has also programmed its Red Sea 360° industry events programme, with 15 in-conversation events analysing the future of the Arab, African and Asian film industries. Speakers include former Marvel executive Karim Zreik; Jordanian filmmaker Tima Al Shomali; Seo Woo-Sik, producer at South Korea’s Baunson; Diego Ramirez Schrempp, producer at Colombia’s Dynamo; and Malek Nejer, animation director at Saudi Arabian firm Myrkott. Further speakers are to be confirmed.
The 360° programme also includes three networking sessions for speed meetings between industry attendees; and a Talent Days series, connecting Saudi and international film talent to industry professionals.
“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,” said Shivani Pandya Malhotra, RSIFF managing director.
The Red Sea Souk Market will run from December 2-5, leading into the Talent Days from December 6-7. RSIFF runs from November 30-December 9.
Red Sea 2023 industry projects
Red Sea Souk Project Market
A Childhood (Pal-Fr) dir. Scandar Copti
Djeliya, Memory Of Manding (B Faso) dir. Boubacar Sangare
Love Conquers All (Leb-Fr) dir. Danielle Arbid
Madness And Honey Days (Iraq-Can) dir. Ahmed Yassin Al-Daradji
Miracle In Cell No. 7 (Leb-UAE) dir. Dina Amer
Nostalgia: A Tale In First Chapters (Syr-Ger-It) dir. Ameer Fakher Eldin
Sadness (CAF-Fr-Con) dir. Emmanuela Lalanga
Selfless (Alg-Fr-Qat) dir. Meriem Mesraoua
Tanzanite (Rwa-S Afr-Ken-Switz) dir. Kantarama Gahigiri
The Return Of The Prodigal Son (Egy-Tun-Fr) dir. Rani Massalha
The Stranger (Syr-Fr) dir. Gaya Jiji
The Treasure (Mor) dir. Abdellah Taia
Three Days 1/3 (Pal-Leb-US-Bel) dir. Rakan Mayasi
When I Close My Eyes, I See Your Eyes (Egy) dir. Sameh Alaa
Red Sea Lodge projects
An Endless Night (Egy) dir. Mohamed Kassaby
Black Snake (Zim) dir. Naishe Nyamubaya
By Hasnaa’s Side (Saudi) dir. Amaal Youssif
Fantastic Tale (Nigeria) dir. Vincho Nchogu
In The Beginning, It Is The End (Saudi) dir. Ghadeer Binabbas
Mecca, Berlin (Saudi-UAE-Ger) dirs. Mujtaba Saeed, Ghiath Al Mhitawi
My Father Killed Bourguiba (Tun-Qat) dirs. Fatma Riahi, Louai Haffar
Temporary Lives (Fr-Nor-Syr) dir. Wessam Hachicho
The Girl And The Missing Bed (Jor-Leb) dir. Samer Battikhi
The Middle One (Saudi-Fr) dir. Sarah Almuneef
The Night Whisperer (Saudi) dir. Lina Mahmoud
The Sun Sees Everything (Leb) dir. Wissam Tanios
Work-In-Progress Showcase
Animale (Alg-Fr-Bel) dir. Emma Benestan
Men In The Sun (Pal-UK-Gr-Neth-Fr-Ger) dir. Mahdi Fleifel
My Semba (Ang) dir. Hugo Salvaterra
Red Path (Tun-Fr-Bel-Pol) dir. Lotfi Achour
Rising Up At Night (Con-Bel-Ger-B Faso) dir. Nelson Makengo
Yunan (Pal-Ger-Can-It-Jor) dir. Ameer Fakher Eldin
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