The initiative will support filmmakers Fares Qodus and Mohammad Alhelail to produce feature-length films, "The Book of Sun" and "Forty Years and a Night".
The Red Sea International Film Festival has unveiled two projects selected for the Tamheed Fund, each receiving production grants of $500,000.
Two aspiring filmmakers, Fares Qodus and Mohammad Alhelail, will be supported to produce their first films, The Book of Sun and Forty Years and a Night, respectively.
Sohayb Qodus joins his brother Fares’ project, The Book of Sun as the producer, while Abdulrahman Khawj will produce Forty Years and a Night.
The competition received 24 submissions, two of which were by female directors. Projects covered diverse geographic and social environments, from major cities to villages and deserts.
A range of schools and approaches were represented, including realism, neorealism, psychodrama, sci-fi, and fantasy, with one animation project.
The entrants tackled various themes, exploring cultural heritage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, complicated family relationships, passion for art, as well as self-realization. Several films focused on the changes taking place in contemporary Saudi society, exploring and documenting its transformation.
The Tamheed Fund was established to support the realisation of Saudi-led feature films to premiere at the inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival, taking place in March 2020.
The open call targeted filmmakers from Saudi and focused on films telling authentic local stories, with visual approaches and daring narrative tools.
The fund is part of the Red Sea International Film Festival’s broad slate of programs and initiatives designed to support the developing Saudi film industry by encouraging a robust and sustainable infrastructure.
