Among the 38 feature projects to be showcased at this year’s Red Sea Souk Project Market are upcoming films by Cannes doc awards winner Asmae El Moudir, Saudi filmmaker and actress Fatima Al-Banawi, and emerging Nigerian director C.J. Obasi.

This event will take place during the fourth Red Sea International Film Festival, which is set to occur in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from December 5 to 14.

Returning to its original location in the historic Al Balad quarter, the festival will mark a shift after two years held at the Ritz Carlton hotel due to the construction of a new headquarters.

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Among the 12 projects in development is Al-Banawi’s “Do Re Mimi,” her second directorial effort following “Basma,” which premiered on Netflix this year.

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Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir, who earned the Cannes Oeil d’Or for her documentary “The Mother of All Lies,” will present her new project titled “Holy Cow.” C.J. Obasi, known for “Mami Wata,” will showcase “La Pyramide.”

The event will also feature 12 projects developed through the festival’s Red Sea Lodge incubator, along with seven films currently in the work-in-progress phase.

For the first time, the Red Sea Souk will highlight seven series in development as part of the Red Sea SeriesLab, in partnership with Film Independent, including the Kenyan drama “Generation A” by Mona Ombogo and Louise Kamwangi.

This year, the Souk has expanded its call for submissions to filmmakers from across Asia, resulting in 28% of submissions coming from the continent. Previously, participation was limited to projects directed by filmmakers from Africa or the Arab world.

“The selection of projects for this year’s Red Sea Souk Project Market reflects our dedication to promoting diverse voices and narratives,” stated Red Sea Souk Director Holly Daniel.

“As we broaden our Project Market to include all of Asia, the 38 selected projects showcase some of the most innovative talents and stories from both continents, and we are excited to present them in our new festival venue in Jeddah’s historic district,” she added.

2024 Selection

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, by 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

Person

Asmae El Moudir, Fatima Al-Banawi, C.J. Obasi, Nadhmi Al-Nasr, Jomana Al Rashid, Shivani Pandya, Holly Daniel, Halkawt Mustafa, Seemab Gul, Karim Ghorayeb, George Peter Barbari, Sonny Calvento, Aboozar Amini, Baloji Tshiani, Mohamad El-Hadidi, Makbul Mubarak, Dahlia Nemlich, Mohammed Alomda, Lana Komsany, Jamal Kutbi, Rulan Hasan, Aakash Chhabra, Aisha Sultanbekova, Jawahine Zentar, Lydia Matata, Sofia Alaoui, Shelby Kho, Omar Hamza, Zhannat Alshanova, Zaven Najjar, Momoko Seto, Qiu Jiongjiong, Levan Kougashvili, Damien Hauseu, Amartei Armar, Noorah Al Eidi, Shehreyar Ahsan, Eshtephan Khattar, Hiba Louis, Ali Kareem, Dania Altayeb, Mona Ombogo, Louise Kamwangi, Nathan Magoola, Lucky Lora Atwine, Nithin Lukose, Hari Kirishnan, Karan Kabir, Nitin Koul

Company Names

Netflix, Red Sea Souk, Red Sea International Film Festival, Red Sea Lodge, Film Independent

Titles

Do Re Mimi, Basma, Holy Cow, Mami Wata, La Pyramide, The Mother of All Lies, Generation A, I Didn’t Sign Up For This, Assa, A Fish in a Bowl, Dandelion’s Odyssey, Allah Is Not Obliged, Memory of Princess Mumbi, Vagabonds, Cold Case-One (Pullukandam Murder Case), Shani Bazaar

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