The Red Sea International Film Festival unveiled the panel of judges that will preside over the 12 projects taking part in the inaugural Red Sea Lodge Residency.
The panel includes Russian film producer Nadia Turincev, writer and producer Meinolf Zurhorst and the award-winning Egyptian film director Yousry Nasrallah.
The jury will announce the winners of two $500,000 production prizes at an online ceremony on September 25. Six of the participant film projects are from Saudi Arabia, while the remaining are from the Arab world.
The third workshop aims to train participants on how to propose and present their projects, in preparation for the digital meetings of November’s TorinoFilmLab. The event is a year-round, international laboratory that supports talents from all over the world, through training, development, production and distribution funding initiatives, including ScriptLab, FeatureLab and SeriesLab and the Red Sea Lodge.
While the TurinFilmLab, in collaboration with the Red Sea Film Lodge, selected 12 cinematic projects, each project’s team, from the director to the producer, and cinematographer, collaborated with a cinematic expert to develop their work and refine their skills as per the requirements of each stage of the creative process. This comprehensive program was designed to accommodate projects during whatever stage of development they had reached.
TorinoFilmLab Executive Director Savina Neirotti said: “The collaboration with the Red Sea Film Lodge has exceeded all expectations, even with the interruption caused by the unforeseeable global pandemic. The 12 projects have developed and evolved into fantastic projects and we are sure a large number of them will end up as films, whether they are awarded the production grant or not”.
Every stage of filmmaking is explored, from script consultations to work with experts in the fields of directing, cinematography and sound, through to post-production as well as a commercial focus on financing, sales, and audience engagement. Structured around diverse, stimulating exchanges with colleagues and mentors, the program is designed to enrich projects through multiple approaches and perspectives.
The final phase of the Lodge and the awarding of the grants was due to take place at the Red Sea International Film Festival in March, which was unable to take place due to coronavirus and the declaration of a global pandemic.
