There are 10 feature debuts across the Red Sea Souk selection, which aims to discover and connect Arab and African filmmakers to the international film community.
The Red Sea Souk, a platform designed to discover and connect Arab and African filmmakers to the international film community, has announced its selection for the Project Market and the Work-In-Progress Showcase.
As part of the Red Sea International Film Festival, the Project Market and the Work-In-Progress Showcase are hosted within the Red Sea Souk, which is now in its second edition and will run December 3–6, 2022.
The Red Sea Souk selection continues to expand its borders and create bridges with independent cinema in Europe and the USA, positioning itself as a platform for future collaborations to increase the international reach of Arab and African stories. Ten feature debuts and eight from established directors represent the diversity of the selection and embody artistic voices bound for the screen.
Ten films that took part in the Red Sea Souk last year, supported by the Red Sea Fund, have been selected for some of the world’s most prestigious festivals including the Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, and the Locarno Film Festival.
It is worthy of note that the Project Market is the perfect place to pick up the latest projects from an exciting generation of new and established voices, connecting filmmakers and financiers from across the globe through one-to-one meetings to explore potential collaborations.
The first edition of the Market proved instrumental in instigating those vital first introductions; more than 560 meetings were hosted, and the Red Sea Souk welcomed 3,115 industry film professionals and media representatives. This year, over 350 distributors, producers, buyers, financiers, sales companies, festival representatives, and commissioners will be on-ground to meet with the projects.
All selected projects will compete for cash prizes offered by the Red Sea Fund, to be awarded by two juries. The Project Market jury will award $35,000 for development, $35,000 for the Jury Special Mention Award, and $100,000 for production. All selected films in the Work-In-Progress Showcase will compete for the Red Sea Souk Post-Production Award of $30,000. Participating projects are also eligible for additional awards funded by the Red Sea Souk sponsors and partners.
The Project Market will also present the 11 Red Sea Lodge projects developed throughout the year during intensive workshops in partnership with the Torino Film Lab. Following development and meetings with industry professionals, two projects will be awarded the annual Red Sea Lodge production prizes of $100,000 each.
On the other hand, the Work-in-Progress Showcase will present six films in post-production — the first directors’ cuts — from selected independent filmmakers to distributors, producers, buyers, financiers, and festival programmers, in addition to creatives, for future collaboration to bring these films to fruition and screens.
Speaking about the selected projects, Myriam Arab, Red Sea Souk consultant, said: “I’m thrilled to announce the selection for our second year. Following the success of our inaugural edition, we have seen an increase in submissions from established and emerging filmmakers who are redefining filmmaking in the region. There is an increased appetite for content. Combined with the region’s sheer amount and diverse array of talents and stories to be told, the Red Sea Souk is a vital platform supporting independent filmmakers in the Arab world and Africa.”
The selected projects include Behind the Palm Trees by Meryem Benm’Barek, Darwin in Taif by Maha Al-Saati, I Am Coming for You by Cyrielle Raingou, Gura by Lotfy Nathan, She Was Not Alone by Hussein Al-Asadi, Tigris by Haider Rashid, The Settlement by Mohammed Rashad, Yajuj by Fahmi Farahat, Bubblegum Brigades by Samah El Kadi, Dogmas by Salah Issaad, Scapegoat by Feras Al-musharrei, Concrete Land by Asmahan Bkerat, Hounds by Kamal Lazraq, and The Burdened by Amr Gamal, among others.
