The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation announces today thefourth cycle of The Red Sea Fund, which offers support of up to $100,000 per film to projects with directors from Saudi Arabia, the Arab world and Africa. This cycle offers funding to support post-production, for films that are already at rough cut stage but need a boost to take them through to completion, distribution and exhibition. The cycle opens on 8th August and closes on 22ndAugust.

The Fund helps to launch a new generation of filmmakers, as well as established auteurs, by bringing their work from script to screen. This year marks the Fund’s largest funding boost for the film industry. The Red Sea Fund looks for bold, original ideas covering a diverse range of subjects. Funded films should inform, educate and entertain global audiences. The Fund supports several genres of film, including feature fiction, feature documentaries, animations and episodic films. Support is also available for short films, although these are only open to Saudi directors.

The Red Sea Fund celebrates the announcement of the 23 winners of its cycle two development grants. The winning projects include five projects from Africa, eleven from the Arab world, and seven films with Saudi directors. The winning genres comprise of three episodic projects, one feature animation, three feature documentaries, thirteen feature fiction films, and three short fiction films.

Mohammed al Turki, CEO of the Red Sea IFF, said, “For the last two years, the Red Sea Fund has supported many directors and producers – but each round of funding brings a new, exciting selection of untold stories that deserve a larger audience. It is truly inspiring to see industry grow in this way and to see so many passionate filmmakers eager to share their visions. We are proud of our role in encouraging this creativity to flourish and grow.”

The 23 funded films are:

Chimbo Chebere – The Hyena’s Song, Feature Fiction (Zimbabwe, France, Germany).

Directed by Naishe (Hassan) Nyamubaya, produced by Jeremie Palanque

Lily’s Double Planet, Feature Fiction (Germany, Sudan)

Directed by Marwa Zein, produced by Michael Henrichs

Vagabonds, Feature Fiction (Ghana, France)

Directed by Amartei Armar, produced by Sebastien Hussenot and Ike Yemoh

Dimbit and Ababa, Episodic (France)

Directed by Feben Elias Woldehawariat, produced by Sebastien Onomo

The Last Damel, Episodic (Senegal, France)

Directed by Alassane Sy, produced by Pierre Jules Pochy

Brothers, Feature Fiction (Mauritania)

Directed by Aliou Sow, produced by Sebastien Onomo

El Bastardiya (Once Upon a Time in Tripoli), Feature Fiction (Libya, Egypt)

Directed by Abdullah Al-Ghaly, produced by Hala Lotfy

Landslide, Feature Fiction (Jordan)

Directed by May Ghouti, produced by Dalia Abu Zeid

Le Refuge, Feature Fiction (Morocco)

Directed by Talal Selhami, produced by Lamia Chraibi

Red Bus in Baghdad, Feature Fiction (Iraq, Switzerland, Canada)

Directed by Ali Mohammed Saeed, produced by Aida Schlaepfer

Tigris, Feature Fiction (Iraq, Italy, France, Saudi Arabia)

Produced and directed by Haider Rashid

Weedestine, Feature Fiction (Palestine, Jordan, Sweden)

Directed by Said Zagha, produced by Mais Salman

American Dream, Feature Documentary (Egypt)

Directed by Amir El-Shenawy, produced by Ahmed Abdelsalam

Women of my Life, Feature Documentary (Iraq, Switzerland)

Directed by Zahraa Ghandour, produced by Samir Jamaldinand Zahraa Ghandour

Yalla Parkour, Feature Documentary (Sweden, Qatar)

Directed by Areeb Zuaiter, produced by Basel Mawlawi

Meskoun, Episodic (Morocco)

Directed by Hicham Lasri, produced by Lamia Chraibi

Hayat Yousef, Feature Fiction (Saudi Arabia)

Directed by Feras Almusharria, produced by Anas Ba-Tahaf

Hejj to Wonderland, Feature Fiction (Saudi Arabia)

Directed by Maha Al-Saati, produced by Sahar Yousefi

Lithium, Feature Fiction (Saudi Arabia)

Directed by Talha and Amro bin Abdulrahman, produced by Maan and Yaser bin Abdulrahman

Before You Leave, Feature Animation (Saudi Arabia, Japan, Indonesia)

Directed by Razan Alsoghayer and Hala Alhaid, produced by Ahmad Kinani and Bashayer Aqeel

Gathering, Short Fiction (Saudi Arabia)

Directed by Waleed Alqahtani, produced by Aziz Albraik

Red Eye, Short Fiction (Saudi Arabia)

Directed by Mohammad Jastaniah, produced by Mohammed Sendi

University Girl, Short Fiction (Saudi Arabia)

Produced and directed by Ali Alsarheed

For more information visit https://redseafilmfest.com/