The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation has officially launched the fifth edition of the Red Sea Fund, aimed at supporting filmmakers from the Arab World and Africa. This initiative is essential for fostering a diverse array of projects, helping to cultivate a new generation of filmmakers while also providing assistance to seasoned directors as they transition from script to screen.

The Red Sea Fund is accepting submissions for various film formats, including feature-length (60 minutes or more) fiction, documentaries, and animation projects. The first cycle for 2024 focuses specifically on film projects in post-production, offering filmmakers a valuable opportunity to elevate their work.

Submissions for Cycle 1 are currently open, running from February 6 to February 27. Filmmakers must submit a complete rough cut of their film as a private online viewing link, with a minimum duration of 60 minutes. It is also required that rough cuts include English subtitles for any non-English dialogue.

To qualify for the Red Sea Fund, applicants must provide a comprehensive set of documents, including a production company profile, registration documents, the passport of the authorized signatory, and an official document that demonstrates the legal authority of the signatory to enter into the Red Sea Fund Agreement for feature and series projects (if selected).

The submission package, which should be in English (except for scripts from Saudi projects, which can be in Arabic), must include a logline, synopsis, film’s chain of titles, final script or writer’s treatment, project budget breakdown, financial plan, details on how the grant money will be utilized during the post-production phase, project timelines, expected completion date, and a video from the director or producer explaining the current status of the project and its editing process.

Applicants will receive written notification of the Red Sea Fund Committee’s decision approximately 10 weeks after the submission deadline. Successful projects will be informed of the amount of financial support awarded and the subsequent steps. The authorized person must respond within a specified timeframe, either accepting or declining the funding.

Upon acceptance, successful applicants must enter into a post-production funding agreement (the “Red Sea Fund Agreement”) within a maximum of four weeks. To secure Red Sea Fund approval, proof of financing from other sources must be provided, whether in cash or in kind, which would generate credits or acknowledgment.