Red Sea Film Fest Unveils 38 Titles for Souk Project Market, Including First Asian, TV Series Projects

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."

'Blue Card,' courtesy of RSIFF

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.

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

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

by Baloji Tshiani Fiction Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa

by Mohamad El-Hadidi Debut, Fiction Egypt, France

WATCH IT BURN by Makbul Mubarak Fiction Indonesia

THE LODGE PROJECTS

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'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

by Zhannat Alshanova Debut, Fiction France, Kazakhstan, The Netherlands, Lithuania

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

by Damien Hauseu Fiction Switzerland, Kenya