JEDDAH: The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation recently announced the recipients of the Red Sea Fund’s 2022 production and post-production funding cycles.

Thirty-six winning films were selected from different countries including Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East and Africa.

Filmmakers will receive grants to help complete films that shed a light on important narratives, and new talents emerging from the region will be recognized.

The Red Sea Fund’s 2022 production cycle received a high volume of submissions of which 150 were reviewed by the team of professional readers and filtered down to a shortlist of 53 films, with 25 selected for the final fund, including feature fiction, feature documentaries, feature animation, episodic series, shorts, and immersive films.

Two of the films selected had previously been supported at the development stage by the Red Sea Fund, including “Captain Mbaye” directed by Joel Karekezi, and “Aicha” directed by Mehdi M. Barsaoui.

Also selected to receive funding was “Yunan” directed by Ameer Fakher Eldin, who participated in the Red Sea International Film Festival Project Market, designed to connect the producers of new film projects with international financiers in the industry.

Critically-acclaimed filmmakers including Saudi Arabia’s Haifaa Al-Mansour, for her Saudi feature animation “Miss Camel,” Annemarie Jacir, Kaouther Ben Hania, and Cherian Dabis were awarded critical funds to support bringing their fresh narratives to the screen.

This will support the RSFF mission to advocate for women filmmakers who are leading the way and inspiring a new generation of creatives such as Saudi filmmaker Sara Mesfer, who also received funding for her feature debut.  

Mohammed Al-Turki, CEO of the Red Sea International Film Festival Foundation, said: “We have been impressed by the quality of submissions received this year which subsequently made it a challenge to narrow the selection down to 25. We are confident the Red Sea Fund will support the winners through the creative process to help share these important stories and showcase a raft of exciting new and established Saudi, Arab and African talent.”

Throughout the post-production cycle, 28 projects were shortlisted, and 11 received post-production grants, including “Norah,” a Saudi film shot in AlUla directed by Tawfik Alzaidi and produced by Paul Miller, and “Blacklight,” directed by Karim Bensalah and produced by Oualid Baha, which won the Final Cut Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Al-Turki said: “The 11 selected films show enormous potential as ground-breaking stories that will capture the imagination of global audiences and will benefit most from a final boost of funding to allow these films to reach their full potential.”

Shivani Pandya, managing director of the RSIFF, said: “The quality of film proposals we receive improve exponentially year on year. It is our privilege and pleasure to be able to support these filmmakers from Saudi Arabia, Africa, and the Arab region, bringing their work to a wider audience through the various initiatives supported by the Red Sea International Film Festival.”

RSIFF is held annually in Jeddah, where it provides a platform for Arab filmmakers and industry professionals from around the world to connect, host feature and short film competitions, and present a series of events, masterclasses, and workshops to support emerging talent.