The Red Sea Film Festival, to be held next month in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has unveiled the program of industry events for the Red Sea Souq, the Arab region’s largest film market. Participating industry players include senior executives from Netflix, Amazon, and Disney, as well as filmmaker Sherian Davis.
The Souk will run from December 6th to 10th and will bring more than 160 exhibitors from more than 45 countries to the market, a 20% increase in the number of stands compared to last time. Souq is expanding its lineup of activities bringing together new talent, up-and-coming filmmakers, and established regional and international industry leaders to increase the number of talks, panels, workshops and masterclasses that will be held alongside Souq Project Market.
The festival’s flagship industry conversation series, Souq Talks, returns with a program of high-level discussions offering key insights into the global film landscape. The session, which will be held during the Souq, will “bring together the most influential and forward-thinking voices from across the regional and international film industry to discuss the key issues shaping today’s film content ecosystem, including AI, co-production, the streaming landscape, Saudi audience growth, and the types of projects financiers are seeking,” according to a statement.
The speaker lineup includes Hamza Ali (Watermelon Pictures), Anmar Al Qurashi (VOX Cinemas), Ash Atalla (Roughcut Television), Gaëtan Bruel (CNC), Gianluca Chakra (Front Row Entertainment), Akunna Cook (Next Narrative Africa Fund), David Davoli (Anonymous Content), Alaa Fadan (Telfaz11), Stuart Ford (AGC) Studios), Soleil. Ghabhieh (Arab Arts and Culture Foundation), Ali Jaafar (MBC Group), Ronnie Jazar (IMAGIC Group), Alaa Karkouti (MAD Solutions & Arab Film Center), Sonia Latui (MediaOne), Vikram Malhotra (Abundansia Entertainment), Natasha Matos-Hemingway (Shaheed), Imane Mezer Gibran (Netflix), Wangi Mba-Uzukwu (Akuna Group), Steve Plimsoll (Humain), Negin Salmasi (Medan), Zaid Shaker (Film AlUla), David Taghioff (Library Pictures International).
This year, Souq is offering selected industry partners “a platform to host and design their own industry sessions for the program, allowing them to discuss issues that are important to them, showcase new initiatives and highlight industry developments in their countries and regions.”
These bespoke events are planned by Amazon Studios, African Cultural Affairs Agency, Riyadh University of the Arts, Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Cinema India, Consulate General of Pakistan, Cultural Development Fund and Milan Talent Factory, and will feature speakers including Chadian filmmaker and founder of Les Ateliers Tuma, Aaron Padake Zegbe. Mr. Mohamed Ghazala, ASIFA Vice President and Head of Egyptian AUD Animation Department. Birol Guven, director of Cinema Birol, screenwriter and producer. Migde Velasquez, Amazon Studios, Senior Executive, Global Series Production. Tom Pistol, head of production at Amazon MGM Studios. Mr. Basil Al Arora, Chief Business Officer, Cultural Development Fund; and Rasha Al-Emam, CEO and co-founder of Yellow Camel Studio in Jeddah.
The Souq Talent Department continues to “empower emerging film professionals” in Saudi Arabia and the Arab region through a “dynamic” program of workshops, mentorships and interactive talks. This year, the initiative expands on The Gems program with four complementary elements. Filmmakers Gems is a personalized program for directors who have short films screened in competition. Gem of the Film Critic, a reflective space for open discussion of the role and impact of film criticism. Short Film Gems is an initiative to support emerging filmmakers in developing their projects, with a focus on strategic industry collaborations (The Pitch Buzz and Raw Cut in collaboration with Alfwad, The Righters House, and Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival). Industry Gems is a mentorship program supported by industry partners, including Cannes Makers.
The Talent Open Talks program will offer a series of “engaging sessions exploring different aspects of filmmaking.” Sessions include The Film Journey Live; It invites audiences to “actively participate in exploring the complete production process of an independent film idea, from development and casting to sales and release.” How to make your short film shine with Canadian executive Jennifer Chen. Focuses on short film distribution and festival strategy. and “Cinephilomania,” which features a moving conversation with filmmaker Sherian Davis that “reflects on her creative journey and influences.” The Talent Team will also be offering Souq Connections, a daily opportunity for attendees to sign up for 15-minute meetings with a wide range of industry experts from Souq and the festival.
The Souk also provides daily networking opportunities in collaboration with industry partners, including Shanghai International Airport. In addition to the festival, Seera Studios, African Cultural Affairs Agency, and the University of Southern California, Guild and Souk Pro members will also have exclusive opportunities to view films from Red Sea IFF’s feature film program.
The previously announced Project Market will be held during the souq and will feature 40 feature and television projects in development, production and post-production, showcasing talent and stories from Africa, Asia and the Arab world. All Souk activities will take place in an expanded, purpose-built location near the festival’s headquarters in Place de la Culture.
