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Upcoming films from Cannes doc awards winner Asmae El Moudir, Saudi Arabian filmmaker and actor Fatima Al-Banawi, and rising Nigerian filmmaker C.J. Obasi are among 38 feature projects due to be presented at the Red Sea Souk Project Market this year.
The meeting will unfold within the framework of the fourth Red Sea International Film Festival, running in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah from December 5 to 14.
Like the festival, it will return to its original setting of the city’s historic Al Balad quarter after two years in the Ritz Carlton hotel, while a new HQ was being built.
The 12 in-development projects include Al-Banawi’s Do Re Mimi, her second feature in the director’s chair after Basma, which debuted on Netflix this year.
Moroccan director Asmae El Moudir, who won Cannes Oeil d’Or prize for doc The Mother of All Lies, will attend with new working titled project Holy Cow. Obasi, who made waves last year with Mami Wata, will unveil La Pyramide.
The event will also present 12 projects developed under the auspices of the festival’s Red Sea Lodge project incubator as well as seven films at the work-in-progress stage.
For the first time, the Red Sea Souk will also showcase seven series currently in development with the Red Sea SeriesLab, in collaboration with Film Independent. These include Kenyan drama Generation A by Mona Ombogo and Louise Kamwangi.
In another fresh development, the Souk opened its call for submissions to filmmakers across Asia for the first time this year, resulting in 28% of total submissions originating from the continent. Previously, the event was open exclusively to projects with directors from Africa or the Arab world.
“This year’s Red Sea Souk Project Market selection truly embodies our commitment to championing diverse voices and perspectives,” said Red Sea Souk Director Holly Daniel.
“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 and we are delighted to present them to the industry in our new Festival home in Jeddah’s old town,” she added.
2024 Selection
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 C.J. ‘Fiery’ Obasi
Fiction
U.S., Brazil, Senegal, UK, Nigeria
MOTHER MAYBE, by Sonny Calvento
Fiction
Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan
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
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
