The Red Sea International Film Festival has announced the selection of forty film and television projects for its 2025 Project Market, reinforcing its role as a leading platform for discovering talent and supporting co-productions from the Arab world, Asia, and Africa.
This year’s lineup showcases a remarkable diversity of narrative styles and creative visions, with female filmmakers representing over forty-two percent of the selected projects. The program includes twenty-four projects currently in development or production, eight feature films in post-production, and eight drama series under development through the festival’s Series Lab in collaboration with Film Independent. Twelve of the development projects were created through the Red Sea Feature Film Development Lab, in partnership with TorinoFilmLab and supported by Film AlUla, while the remaining twelve will receive specialized training in project pitching supervised by producer Anna Katchko, script consultant David Pope, and sales agent Gabor Greiner.
Following the opening of submissions to Asian filmmakers in 2024, the festival recorded a thirty-five percent increase in projects from the continent, reflecting growing global engagement with the Red Sea cinematic ecosystem. This edition also features eighteen directors presenting their first feature works and celebrates the rising presence of women in cinema, who make up over forty-two percent of the selected projects. Several alumni of the Project Market are returning this year with new projects, including Arvin Belarmino, Wissam Sharaf, and Shukir Khulikov, highlighting the festival’s ongoing commitment to supporting filmmakers throughout their creative journeys.
The selected projects in development and production include: The Honorable Death by Dalia Baashan (Saudi Arabia), Shadia by Reem Nakhli (Tunisia), On Love and the Laws of September by Mohamed Kordofani (Sudan, France, Germany, Sweden), Ash Awakens Fire by Ashmita Guha Neogi (France, India), Kumba by Mamadou Dia (Senegal, France), Dhill by Dania Al Tayeb (Saudi Arabia), Transparent by Dornaz Hajiha (Iran, Hong Kong, France, Norway, Mexico), Fantasy by Anocha Suwichakornpong (Thailand), Green Corpse by Khaled Zidan (Saudi Arabia), Summerish by Wissam Charaf (France, Lebanon, Italy), Infidels by Ely Dagher Tahchi (Lebanon, Canada), Leg by Shukir Khulikov (Kazakhstan, Italy), Nknai by Bruno Tana (Kenya), Philax by Ruken Tekes (Turkey, Italy, Greece), House and House by Maha Haj (Palestine, Germany, France, Cyprus), From Zero to Thousand by Hanaa Saleh Al Fassi (Saudi Arabia), The Reward of Evil by Ibrahim Mursal (Sudan, Norway), Salma, the Moon, and the Stars by Maram Tayeb (Saudi Arabia), Astronaut in Congo by Maisha Maeni (DRC, UK, Germany), Street Education by Yasser Abdulrahman (Saudi Arabia), The Daughter by Tian Guan (China, Taiwan, France), To Catch the Falling Sky by Chika Chukwu (Nigeria, UK), Profaned by Mohammad Reza Fahrionshah (Indonesia), and Whisper of the Veil by Iris Lanhua Ma (China).
Films in post-production include Unknown Girl by Jing Xu (China, France), A Moon for Every River by Yu Gu (China, France), Benimana by Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo (Rwanda, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Norway), The Pyramid by C.J. “Fiery” Obasi (Nigeria, UK, USA, Senegal, Brazil), Ria by Arvin Belarmino (Philippines, Norway, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Japan), The Last Days of R.M. by Amin Sidi-Boumediene (France, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar), The Prodigal Son by Rani Massalha (Tunisia, France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Qatar), and Last Night the Eye Couldn’t Sleep by Rakan Mayasi (Belgium, Palestine, Lebanon). Series Lab projects include Drift by Zahra Zuhair (Saudi Arabia), Flash by Soo-young Kim (South Korea), The Weight of a Fly by Eldar Shibanov (Kazakhstan), Mad Loot and the Midnight Gun by Talmwa Byosi (Uganda), City of Money by Tony Koros (Kenya), Side Effects by Hind Metwally (Egypt), Community by Sushant Nagpal (India), and Till Death Do Us Part by Tomi Foluwosile (Nigeria).
The Red Sea Souk received more than nineteen hundred applications from filmmakers across Saudi Arabia, the Arab world, Asia, and Africa, all reviewed by an international selection committee. Selected projects will benefit from intensive pre-market mentoring and training in preparation for their pitch sessions before industry partners and financiers during the festival in December. Holly Daniel, Director of the Red Sea Souk, said: “The Project Market is a cornerstone of the Red Sea Film Foundation ecosystem, connecting new voices and enabling the creation of innovative stories. Celebrating five years of this program, we are proud to welcome back previous directors with new works. This year’s selected projects are distinguished by their creative diversity and artistic strength, opening wide horizons for development, and we look forward to linking them with new industry partners during the fifth edition of the festival in December.”
All participating projects are eligible for cash awards from the Red Sea Fund, alongside additional partner prizes to be announced soon. These grants provide essential financial support across all stages of a project’s lifecycle—from development and production to post-production—and include dedicated funding for projects developed within the Feature Film Program and the Series Lab. The festival continues to showcase the best of Arab and international cinema in Jeddah, offering a platform that includes restored cinematic treasures, new works from emerging talent, live music events, and workshops designed to nurture and celebrate the next generation of filmmakers from around the world.
TunisianMonitorOnline (Douha Essaafi)
