The selected projects include “six from Saudi Arabia, while the other projects are from Egypt, Algeria and Lebanon, with 50 percent of the participants directed, produced and written by women,” announced the Saudi Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIF) that organises the Red Sea Lodge on Tuesday.

The eight-month mentoring programme was established in collaboration with the Torino Film Lab to “support and promote talents,” comprising “five intensive labs designed to take a diversity of talent at the early stages of their career through the essentials of filmmaking to bring authentic stories to the screen” as explained by the festival.

The Red Sea Lodge 2021 winners – The Zarqa Girl by Zaid Abuhamdan and The Photographer of Madina by Dalyah Bakheet – each received a grant of $100,000.

“The Red Sea Lodge is now building momentum and proving to be a vital support initiative which helps Arab talent to reach new heights in their film careers and ultimately amplify the impact of Saudi and Arab film around the world,” stated Shivani Pandya Malhotra, managing director of the RSIF.

The selection committee features industry experts like Savina Neirotti, Violeta Bava, Jumana Zahid, Shivani Pandya Malhotra, Antoine Khalife and Kaleem Aftab.

The second edition of the RSIF will run in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 1-10 December, 2022.

The six projects from Saudi Arabia are as follows:
Seasons of Love & War: based on the novel Divers of the Desert written by Amal Alfaran, Director/Screenplay Hana Alomair, Co-Writer/Producer Soha Samir
A Last Argument Against Youth: Writer/Director Mohemmed Algbreen, Producer Raghad Bajbaa
The Crow Nest: Writer/Director Feras Almusharrei, Producer Razan Al Soghayer, Writer Taqwa Ali
Al Qais: Writer/Director Lujain Hussain, Writer/Producer Abdulrahman Hakeem
Tahweedah: Writer/Director Omar Al Omirat, Producer Asd Alkarimi
Yajuj: Curse Of Iram: Director Fahmi Farahat, Producer Jomana Alquraish, Writer Murad Amayreh

The six projects from the wider Arab world are as follows:
The Settlement: Egypt – France; Writer/Director Mohamed Rashad, Producer Hala Lotfy
A Quarter To Thursday In Algiers: Algeria – France; Writer/Director Sofia Djama, Aurélie Turc
Cain And Abel: Egypt – USA – France; Director Dina Amer, Producer Karim Amer, Writer Omar Mullick
Dogmas: France – Algeria; Writer/Director Salah Issaad, Producer Taqiyeddine Issaad
Bubblegum Brigades: Lebanon; Director Samah El Kadi, Producer Michelle Ayoub, Writer Rani Nasr
Aisha Can’t Fly Away Anymore: Egypt; Writer/Director Morad Mostafa, Producer Sawsan Yusuf