Twenty-three out of 300 movies have won the contest of the Red Sea Fund. The Red Sea International Film Festival has launched the fourth and last phase for the post-production projects aimed at supporting filmmakers in Saudi Arabia, the Arab region, and Africa, and help them turn their ideas and visions into real productions.
The Red Sea International Film Festival Committee announced it received over 300 applications for the second phase of the Red Sea Fund contest. The jury, which reviewed many sophisticated works, selected 23 works that won the fund’s grants estimated at up to $25,000 for each movie, in addition to a chance to display the completed movies in the forthcoming edition of the festival scheduled late 2022.
Mohammed Al-Turki, chairman of the Festival Committee, said the Red Sea Festival focuses on promoting the local and regional cinema, and push the industry to new levels by creating new, competitive opportunities.
Turki noted that the committee received over 300 applications, which highlights an active cinematic movement in Saudi Arabia, and indicates that the quality of selected works reflects a deep cinematic experience, and creative and bold views that promise a prospering future in this industry in the Arab region.
The selected movies are diverse and come from different countries: 11 from the Arab region, 5 from Africa, and 7 from Saudi Arabia, including 13 feature films from Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Iraq, Mauritania, Palestine, Sudan, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, France, Italy, and Ghana; three short movies from Saudi Arabia; and three documentaries from Egypt, Switzerland, and Iraq.
In the animated movies category, one movie from Saudi Arabia was selected; and in the series category, the selected works were three from France, Senegal, and Morocco.
The campaign launched by the Red Sea Fund seeks to support over 100 projects with grants worth up to $500,000 that cover all the production phases, develop new projects, support ongoing productions, and enrich the spectator’s experience by motivating bold, and creative ideas and visions discussing various topics. It also aims at introducing the audience to new voices inside and outside the region with the help of the Red Sea Film Festival, building communication bridges, and supporting and growing a new generation of promising talents.
