Maha Hajj and Mamadou Dia were prepared for the Red Sea Market Project
Upcoming films by Palestinian director Maha Al-Hajj, Lebanese director Wissam Sharaf and Sudanese pioneer Mohamed Kordofani are among 40 films selected for the upcoming edition of the Red Sea Film Festival Market Project.
The platform held as part of the festival in December is designed to promote international co-productions and give 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 spin-off series.
Twelve of the 24 projects in development or production were developed by Red Sea Labs throughout the year as part of the feature film programme. This program is in partnership with Torino Film Lab and sponsored by Film Alula.
The remaining 12 projects will receive mentorship from producer Anna Kaczko, script consultant David Pope and sales agent Gabor Greiner.
After opening applications to filmmakers from across Asia for the first time in 2024, the proportion of projects selected from the region this year rose to 35%.
Additionally, 18 directors have their first films selected, and more than 42% of projects are created by female filmmakers.
Among the graduates returning to the market with new projects this year are Arvin Belarmino, Sharaf and Shokir Kholikov, who previously screened their films as part of the Red Sea International Film Festival.
The platform received 1,900 applications across the Red Sea Market and Labs for its 2025 releases.
“Our Souq Project Market is a vital part of the Red Sea Film Institute ecosystem – serving as a vital hub for new voices to collaborate on innovative projects and ideas. Celebrating five years of this program also means we are welcoming back past graduates with new work, which is a sign of the Souq’s growing legacy,” said Holly Daniel, Director of The Souk Project.
This year’s selection of titles is diverse, creative, strong and offers tremendous opportunities for development, and we look forward to introducing them to potential new industry partners at the fifth edition of the festival in December.
All selected projects will be considered for the Red Sea Market Awards presented by the Red Sea Fund, along with a number of award partners who will be announced soon.
Red Sea Market Selection for 2025
Projects under development and production:
Noble death
By Dalia Baeshen
Debut, fantasy
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Time to wander
By Reem Nakhli
Debut, fantasy
Tunisia
About love and the laws of September
By Muhammad Kordofani
imaginary
Sudan, France, Germany, Sweden
Cold ash can cause forest fires
By Ashmita Guha Neogi
Debut, fantasy
France, India
Compa
By Mamadou Dia
imaginary
Senegal, France
DHL
Written by Dania Al-Tayeb
Debut, fantasy
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
transparent
By Dornaz Hajiha
imaginary
Iran, Hong Kong, France, Norway, Mexico
imaginary
By Anocha Suichakornpong
Creative documentary
Thailand
Green corpse
By Khaled Zidane
Debut, fantasy
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
vacation
By Medal of Honor
imaginary
France, Lebanon, Italy
Infidels
By Elie Jean Al-Tahshi
Debut, fantasy
Lebanon, Canada
man
By Shakir Kholikov
imaginary
Kazakhstan, Italy
Nkanai
By Bruno Tania
Debut, fantasy
Kenya
PHILAX by Ruken Tekes
Debut, fantasy
Türkiye, Italy, Greece.
stage
By Maha Al-Hajj
imaginary
Palestine, Germany, France, Cyprus
positive
By Hanaa Saleh Al-Fassi
Debut, fantasy
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The price of evil
By Ibrahim Mursal
Debut, fantasy
Sudan, Norway
Salma, the moon and the stars
By Maram Taiba
Debut, fantasy
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Astronaut in Congo
By Misha Maini
For the first time, a creative documentary
Democratic Republic of the Congo, United Kingdom, Germany
Street education
By Yasser B.
imaginary
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Daughter
By Tian Guan
Debut, fantasy
China, Taiwan, France
To capture the falling sky
By Chita Chukwu
imaginary
Nigeria, United Kingdom
unholy
By Mohammad Reza Fahriansyah
imaginary
Indonesia
Veil whispered
Written by Iris Lanhua Ma
imaginary
China
Works in progress
Unknown girl
By Jing Zhou
Debut, fantasy
China, France
A moon for every river
By Yu Gu
Debut, fantasy
China, France
Benimana
Written by Marie Clementine Dosabigambo
Debut, fantasy
Rwanda, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Norway
No pyramid
By Cj “Fiery” Obasi
imaginary
Nigeria, United Kingdom, United States of America, Senegal, Brazil
Rhea
By Irvin Bellarmino
Debut, fantasy
Philippines, Norway, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Japan
The last days of RM
By Amin Sidi Boumediene
imaginary
France, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar
The prodigal son
By Rani Masalha
imaginary
Tunisia, France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Qatar
Yesterday the eye did not sleep
By Rakan Mayasi
Debut, fantasy
Belgium, Palestine, Lebanon
Chain factory:
Direft
By Zahraa Zuhair
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
flash
By Sooyoung Kim
South Korea
Aviation weights
By Eldar Shibanov
Kazakhstan
Mad Bounty and Midnight Gun
By Talimwa Pius
Uganda
Money city
By Tony Koros
Kenya
Side effects
By Hind Metwally
Egypt
community
By Sushant Nagpal
India
Till death do us part
By Tommy Voloselli
Nigeria