RSIFF: Souk, the appetiser, and the dessert in the desert
In Arabic, Souk is market. In India we have a Film Bazaar at Goa during the International Film Festival of India, every year. Most major festivals in the world hold a film market, where film-makers and persons connected with the film industry set-up stalls or booths. A lot of business takes place here and a lot of projects are green-lighted. And the two halls, Violet and Orchid, at the Ritz Carlton, were just the place for RSIFF to locate the Souk.
What is more, there were a host of awards for participants. I found the stalls inviting and welcoming. To make your visit a sweet experience, they offered you dates and chocolates. Dates and chocolates? I was told to go and collect a goodies bag from the MBC stall. It reportedly contained a hat (I love hats and was wearing one that day), two T-shirts and a cap (I have a large collection of caps). Too late, though. By the time I reached the stall, all the way from VOX cinemas, the gifts had been exhausted, and the stall was about to close.
At the Souk, you could connect with key industry players during three thematic speed-meeting sessions. As part of the Red Sea International Film Festival’s commitment to fostering film-making talent, the Networking Sessions provided opportunities for new entrants and emerging film-makers to connect and network with key players from the film and TV landscape.
Tailored to enable connections between Festival/Souk attendees and professionals, 3 Networking Sessions will gather a roster of more than 120 select industry professionals, in a dedicated journey from script to screen. The 3 Networking sessions were with Regional Key Players, International Key Payers and the Pivotal Roles sessions. It was a four-day market, and awards were announced at the end of the fourth day. They even had a dedicated Souk industry room, and you could book up to 5 appointments per day.
Some of the delegates at RSIFF:
Guneet Monga Alex Hoffman
Amit Jumani Mustajabuddin Malik
Nasir Khan Rachvin Narula
Sara Hindi Shant Joshi
Syed Ali Tarsem Singh Dhandwar
The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF) announced the winners of the Red Sea Souk Awards – vital funding and in-kind grants to develop and boost new talent from Saudi, Arab and African directors. Three juries deliberated to finally select nine winning feature ideas and two TV series, whose creative visions will now benefit from generous prizes, awarded by the Red Sea Fund, and its award partners.
A total of 24 new film projects screened as part of the Red Sea Souk, with 12 titles by film-makers of African and Arab origin, alongside 12 Red Sea Lodge projects by Saudi, Arab and African directors, which have been developed over the last year, through intensive workshops, and in partnership with the Torino Film Lab. The Red Sea Souk Project Market jury awards were supported by the Red Sea Fund, and in the selection were five Saudi projects, eight African projects and eleven projects from the wider Arab region.
An additional wing of the Project Market was the Work-in-Progress Showcase, featuring six feature films, by directors who are also of the African or Arab diasporas. All selected Work-In-Progress projects have competed for the Red Sea Souk Awards, supported by the Red Sea Film Fund, of which there are two winners to be chosen by the Work-in-Progress Showcase Jury.
At the awards ceremony, Mohammed Al-Turki, CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation, said: “The winners of this year’s Red Sea Souk Awards demonstrate the rich and varied new visions in filmmaking emerging both from the wider MENA region and from those who have roots here. These directors are the cinematic voices of tomorrow and we are thrilled to play a part in the development of their talent and storytelling which will undoubtedly yield successes and international recognition.”
Shivani Pandya Malhotra, Managing Director Red Sea International Film Festival, said: “The Souk is the beating heart of this festival in that it is the genesis of so many projects, and is the culmination of everything the foundation does throughout the year and has been growing year on year since our inception in 2021. There were over 570 meetings which took place for the market projects, which is an impressive metric of how this marketplace creates opportunity – on top of the 26 winners, who walk away with vital support for their fantastic work. With participants from 30 countries – we have a robust showing of projects which we’re very proud to support and look forward to seeing them go from strength to strength.”
Zain Zedan, Red Sea Souk Manager, said: “We are thrilled to be closing out our most successful Souk yet – with a record number of countries and exhibitors who have participated in what is a truly vibrant marketplace. In addition to the Awards and networking opportunities we facilitate, we also run a programme of talks which this year includes industry veterans Zeinab Abu Alsamh, Karim Zreik, Diego Ramírez Schrempp, Sheri Elwood, Sébastien Onomo, Woo-Sik Seo and many more regional and international prominent figures. We look forward to reconvening in 2024, and seeing the trajectory of these creators and businesses soar in the coming year.”
Additional Souk Partner Awards come from: Arab Cinema Center (ACC), Arab Radio and Television (ART), CineWaves Films, Ithra, MAD Solutions, MBC Academy/Shahid, Oticons, Shift Studios and Titrafilm.
Here is the full list of winners:
Arab Cinema Center (ACC)
2 supported places on the International Film Festival Rotterdam Producers Lab
Saudi Winner: Ghaidaa Abuazzah (BY HASNAA’S SIDE)
Arab Winner: Fatma Racha Shehadeh (THE GIRL AND MISSING BED)
MAD Solutions
50,000 USD to a project in development, in production or in post-production.
Winner: NOSTALGIA: A LIFE IN FIRST CHAPTERS, by Ameer Fakher Eldin
OTICONS
Oticons Award for a Work-in-Progress film consisting of Music Consulting services worth 5,000 USD
Winner: MEN IN THE SUN, by Mahdi Fleifel
SHIFT STUDIOS
12,000 USD Shift Studios awards for a promotion package worth 12,000 USD
2 Awards
Winner: RISING UP AT NIGHT, by Nelson Makengo
Winner: MY SEMBA, by Hugo Salvaterra
8,000 USD Shift Studios award, consisting of a full DCP package, worth 8,000 USD
Winner: MEN IN THE SUN, by Mahdi Fleifel
TITRAFILM
In kind award for a Work-in-Progress film, worth 15,000 USD
Winner: ANIMALE, by Emma Benestan
Arab Radio and Television Network (ART)
10,000 USD ART grant, for one Saudi Project in development or production
Winner: THE NIGHT WHISPERER, by Lina Mahmoud
50,000 USD ART Award for one Arab Project in development or production
Awarded by ART
Winner: LOVE CONQUERS ALL, by Danielle Arbid
CineWaves Films
50,000 USD CineWaves Films Distribution Award for a project in development, production or post-production
Winner: MECCA, BERLIN, by Majtaba Saeed
Ithra
50,000 USD Ithra award for one Saudi project in production or post-production
Winner: THE NIGHT WHISPERER, by Lina Mahmoud
MBC Academy/Shahid
75,000 USD MBC Academy /Shahid Award, for a Saudi project in development
Winner: IN THE BEGINNING, IT IS THE END, by Ghadeer Binabbas
75,000 USD MBC Academy /Shahid Award, for a Saudi project in development or production or post-production
Winner: BY HASSNA’S SIDE, by Amaal Youssif
50,000 USD MBC Academy/Shahid Award, for an Arab project in development or post-production
Winners: MADNESS AND HONEY DAYS, by Ahmed Yassin Al-Daradji
Serieslab Awards
10,000 USD Red Sea Serieslab Award
Awarded by Serieslab Jury
Winner: EYE OF THE KITE, by Saleh Al-Hamad
Winner: OUR SON IS PRETTIER, by Hanaa Saleh Alfassi
WIP Awards:
Red Sea Souk Post-Production Jury Special Mention Award, with a grant of 10.000 USD
Awarded by Red Sea WIP Jury
Winner: MY SEMBA, by Hugo Salvaterra
Red Sea Souk Post-Production Award, with a grant of 30,000 USD
Awarded by Red Sea WIP Jury
Winner: YUNAN, by Ameer Fakher Eldin
Lodge Awards:
50,000 USD Red Sea Souk Production Award, for a Red Sea Lodge project
Awarded by Project Market Jury
Winner: BY HASNAA’S SIDE, by Amaal Youssif
Winner: FANTASTIC TALE, by Vincho Nchogu
Winner: BLACK SNAKE, by Naishe Nyamubaya
Winner: MY FATHER KILLED BOURGHIBA, by Fatma Riahi
PM Awards:
Awarded by Project Market Jury
25,000 USD Red Sea Souk Jury Special Mention Award
Winner: LOVE CONQUERS ALL, by Danielle Arbid
35,000 USD Red Sea Souk Development Award
Winner: WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES, I SEE YOUR EYES, by Sameh Alaa
100,000 USD Red Sea Souk Production Award
Winner: THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL SON by Rani Massalha
