The Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has unveiled 38 feature film projects and, for the first time, TV series projects that will be featured at this year’s Red Sea Souk Project Market, with organizers touting that they showcase “a continued commitment to championing bold storytelling and exciting new voices in cinema.”
This year’s selection highlights “a diverse range of narratives and talent from across the globe,” including seven series, they said. The selected projects represent the culmination of the Red Sea Labs annual development program within the Lodge, which is run in partnership with TorinoFilmLab and sponsored by Film Alula.
“Marking a significant expansion of the program, the Souk this year opened its call for submissions to filmmakers across Asia for the first time, resulting in 28 percent of total submissions originating from the continent,” the market team highlighted. Previously, the Souk was open exclusively to projects with directors from Africa or the Arab world.
An international panel of readers evaluated submissions, with the final selection determined by a dedicated selection committee. Each project will get tailored pitch mentoring in the lead-up to the Souk to prepare creators for their chance to connect with potential partners and investors.
“Reflecting the Souk’s ongoing support of talent, the Souk is welcoming back filmmakers Asmae Al Moudir, Sofia Alaouiand Halkawt Mustafa, whose previous feature films screened at the 2023 Red Sea International Film Festival, and who will present their exciting new projects in development during the 2024 edition,” organizers said.
Highlighted Red Sea Souk director Holly Daniel: “This year’s Red Sea Souk Project Market selection truly embodies our commitment to championing diverse voices and perspectives. As we open our Project Market up to the whole of Asia for the first time, the 38 projects in selection this year represent some of the most original talent and stories from across the two continents.”
All selected projects will be considered for the Red Sea Souk and Red Sea Labs Awards, alongside a number of partner awards to be unveiled later. These awards offer financial support at various stages of a project’s lifecycle, including development, production, and post-production, as well as dedicated support for projects within the Lodge and SeriesLab.
Check out the full list of projects below.
THE SERIESLAB PROJECTS
B’itha, By Noorah Al Eidi & Shehreyar Ahsan
Saudi Arabia
Saria Othman Needs No Man, By Eshtephan Khattar & Hiba Louis
Lebanon
Pazuzu, By Ali Kareem & Dania Altayeb
Iraq, Saudi Arabia
Generation A, By Mona Ombogo & Louise Kamwangi
Kenya
Switch, By Nathan Magoola & Lucky Lora Atwine
Uganda
Cold Case-One (Pullukandam Murder Case), By Nithin Lukose & Hari Kirishnan
India
Shani Bazaar, By Karan Kabir & Nitin Koul
India
THE RED SEA SOUK PROJECTS-IN-DEVELOPMENT
DO RE MIMI, by Fatima Al-Banawi
Fiction
Saudi Arabia
FAROUK, by Halkawt Mustafa
Documentary
Iraq, Norway
HAVEN OF HOPE, by Seemab Gul
Debut, Fiction
Pakistan
HOLY COW (working title), by Asmae El Moudir
Fiction
Morocco
IT’S OKAY, I’M ONLY HUMAN, by Karim Ghorayeb and George Peter Barbari
Documentary
Lebanon, France
LA PYRAMIDE, by Cj ‘Fiery’ Obasi
Fiction
US, Brazil, Senegal, UK, Nigeria
MOTHER MAYBE, by Sonny Calvento
Fiction
Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan R.O.C.
ROBBING BEIRUT by Katia Jarjoura
Debut, Fiction
Lebanon, France
TAHMINA by Aboozar Amini
Fiction
The Netherlands, Canada, Afghanistan, Germany
THE LONELINESS OF THE LIGHT SKIN ONE, by Baloji Tshiani
Fiction
Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa
THE SEA WAS ONCE BLUE by Mohamad El-Hadidi
Debut, Fiction
Egypt, France
WATCH IT BURN by Makbul Mubarak
Fiction
Indonesia
THE LODGE PROJECTS
ASSA, A FISH IN A BOWL, by Dahlia Nemlich
Debut, Fiction
Lebanon
BLUE CARD, by Mohammed Alomda
Debut, Fiction
Sudan, Egypt
I DIDN’T SIGN UP FOR THIS, by Lana Komsany
Debut, Fiction
Saudi Arabia
HADD, by Jamal Kutbi
Debut, Fiction
Saudi Arabia
CLOSE ROSE CLOSE, by Rulan Hasan
Debut, Fiction
Saudi Arabia
I’LL SMILE IN SEPTEMBER, by Aakash Chhabra
Debut, Fiction
India
JAYSAN, by Aisha Sultanbekova
Debut, Fiction
Kyrgyzstan
THE SILENT ONES, by Jawahine Zentar
Debut, Fiction
Morocco
PEPO KALI, by Lydia Matata
Debut, Fiction
Kenya
TARFAYA, by Sofia Alaoui
Fiction
Morocco
TERBAKAR, by Shelby Kho
Debut, Fiction
Indonesia, Singapore
MANJANO, by Omar Hamza
Debut, Fiction
Kenya
THE RED SEA SOUK WORKS-IN-PROGRESS
A WINNER IS SEEN AT THE START, by Zhannat Alshanova
Debut, Fiction
France, Kazakhstan, The Netherlands, Lithuania
ALLAH IS NOT OBLIGED, by Zaven Najjar
Debut, Animation
France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Canada
DANDELION’S ODYSSEY, by Momoko Seto
Debut, Animation
Japan, France, Belgium
FUXI, by Qiu Jiongjiong
Fiction
Taiwan / Hong Kong
GURIA, Levan Kougashvili
Fiction
Georgia, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Türkiye
MEMORY OF PRINCESS MUMBI, by Damien Hauseu
Fiction
Switzerland, Kenya
VAGABONDS, by Amartei Armar
Debut, Fiction
Ghana
