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Upcoming films from Palestinian director Maha Haj, Lebanese director Wissam Charaf and Sudanese breakout Mohamed Kordofani are among 40 titles selected for the upcoming edition of the Red Sea Film Festival’s Souk Project Market. The platform taking place within the framework of the festival in December is designed to bolster international co-productions and grant access to new projects and talent from across the Arab World, Asia and Africa. It will showcase 24 Projects in Development, eight Works-In-Progress and eight Episodic Series. Twelve of the 24 projects in development or production have been developed by the Red Sea Labs over the year as part of the Feature Film Program. This program is in partnership with Torino Film Lab and sponsored by Film Alula. The remaining 12 projects will receive pitch mentoring from Producer Anna Katchko, Script Consultant David Pope and Sales Agent Gabor Greiner. Following 2024’s opening of submissions to filmmakers across Asia for the first time, this year the proportion of selected projects from the region has grown to 35%. In addition, 18 filmmakers have had their debut features selected, and over 42% of the projects are created by female filmmakers. Alumni returning to the Souk with new projects this year are Arvin Belarmino, Charaf and Shokir Kholikov, who have previously screened titles as part of the Red Sea International Film Festival, The platform received 1,900 applications were received across the Red Sea Souk and Labs for their 2025 editions. “Our Souk Project Market is a vital part of the Red Sea Film Foundation’s ecosystem – acting as a vibrant hub for new voices to collaborate on innovative projects and ideas. Celebrating a five-year arc of this programme also means we are welcoming back previous alumni with new work, which is a mark of the growing legacy of the Souk,” Holly Daniel, Red Sea Souk Director. This year’s selection of titles is diverse, creative and powerful and provide huge opportunities for development, and we’re looking forward to introducing them to new potential industry partners at the fifth edition of the Festival in December.” All selected projects will be considered for the Red Sea Souk Awards provided by the Red Sea Fund, alongside a number of award partners to be announced soon. The 2025 Red Sea Souk Selection Projects-in-Development and Production: A NOBLE DEATH by Dalia Baeshen Debut, Fiction Saudi Arabia A TIME TO WANDER by Rim Nakhli Debut, Fiction Tunisia ABOUT LOVE AND SEPTEMBER LAWS by Mohamed Kordofani Fiction Sudan, France, Germany, Sweden COLD ASHES CAN CAUSE FOREST FIRES by Ashmita Guha Neogi Debut, Fiction France, India COUMBA by Mamadou Dia Fiction Senegal, France DHEL by Dania Altayeb Debut, Fiction Saudi Arabia DIAPHANOUS by Dornaz Hajiha Fiction Iran, Hong Kong, France, Norway, Mexico FICTION by Anocha Suwichakornpong Creative Documentary Thailand GREEN CORPSE by Khaled Zidan Debut, Fiction Saudi Arabia HOLIDAY by Wissam Charaf Fiction France, Lebanon, Italy INFIDELS by Eli Jean Tahchi Debut, Fiction Lebanon, Canada LEG by Shokir Kholikov Fiction Kazakhstan, Italy NKANAI by Bruno Tanya Debut, Fiction Kenya PHILAX by Ruken Tekes Debut, Fiction Turkey, Italy, Greece. PLAYHOUSE by Maha Haj Fiction Palestine, Germany, France, Cyprus POSITIVE by Hanaa Saleh Alfassi Debut, Fiction Saudi Arabia PRICE OF EVIL by Ibrahim Mursal Debut, Fiction Sudan, Norway SALMA AND THE MOON AND THE STARS by Maram Taibah Debut, Fiction Saudi Arabia SPACEMAN IN KONGO by Maisha Maene Debut, Creative Documentary Democratic Republic of the Congo, United Kingdom, Germany STREET EDUCATION by Yaser B. Fiction Saudi Arabia THE DAUGHTER by Tian Guan Debut, Fiction China, Taiwan, France TO CATCH A FALLING SKY by Cheta Chukwu Fiction Nigeria, United Kingdom UNHOLY by Mohammad Reza Fahriyansyah Fiction Indonesia VEIL WHISPERER by Iris Lanhua Ma Fiction China Works-in-Progress A GIRL UNKNOWN by Jing Zou Debut, Fiction China, France A MOON FOR EVERY RIVER by You Gu Debut, Fiction China, France BENIMANA by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo Debut, Fiction Rwanda, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Norway LA PYRAMIDE by Cj ‘Fiery’ Obasi Fiction Nigeria, United Kingdom, United States of America, Senegal, Brazil RIA by Arvin Belarmino Debut, Fiction Philippines, Norway, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Japan THE LAST DAYS OF RM by Amin Sidi-Boumédiène Fiction France, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar THE PRODIGAL SON by Rani Massalha Fiction Tunisia, France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Qatar YESTERDAY THE EYE DIDN’T SLEEP by Rakan Mayasi Debut, Fiction Belgium, Palestine, Lebanon SeriesLab: DÉRIFT by Zahra Zuhair Saudi Arabia FLASH by Sooyoung Kim South Korea FLYWEIGHTS by Eldar Shibanov Kazakhstan MAD BOUNTY AND THE MIDNIGHT GUN by Talemwa Pius Uganda MONEY TOWN by Tony Koros Kenya SIDE EFFECTS by Hind Metwalli Egypt SOCIETY by Sushant Nagpal India TILL DEATH DO US PART by Tomi Folowosele Nigeria
