The Red Sea Film Festival, which runs next month in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has revealed the program of industry events for Red Sea Souk, the largest film market in the Arab region. Industry players taking part include senior executives from Netflix, Amazon and Disney, and filmmaker Cherien Dabis.
The Souk will take place from Dec. 6-10, welcoming more than 160 exhibitors from over 45 countries to its marketplace, with a 20% increase in stands from the previous edition. The Souk offers an expanded lineup of activities bringing together new talent, emerging filmmakers and established regional and international industry leaders for an increased number of talks, panels, workshops and masterclasses running alongside the Souk Project Market.
The festival’s flagship industry conversation series, Souk Talks, returns with a program of high-level discussions offering essential insights into the global film landscape. Running throughout the duration of the Souk, the sessions will bring together “some of the most influential and forward-thinking voices from across the regional and international screen industries, discussing the key issues shaping today’s screen content ecosystem including AI, co-production, the streaming landscape, the growth of Saudi audiences and the kinds of projects financiers are seeking,” according to a statement.
The lineup of speakers include 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 Gharbieh (The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture), Ali Jaafar (MBC Group), Rony Jazzar (IMAGIC Group), Alaa Karkouti (MAD Solutions & Arab Cinema Center), Sonia Latoui (Mediawan), Vikram Malhotra (Abundantia Entertainment), Natasha Matos-Hemingway (Shahid), Imane Mezher Gibran (Netflix), Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu (Akuna Group), Steve Plimsoll (Humain), Negin Salmasi (Medan), Zaid Shaker (Film AlUla), and David Taghioff (Library Pictures International).
This year, the Souk is offering selected industry partners “a platform to host and curate their own industry sessions for the program, allowing them to discuss the issues that matter to them, showcase new initiatives and highlight industry developments in their countries or regions.”
These bespoke events have been planned by Amazon Studios, African Culture Agency, Riyadh University of the Arts, Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Cinemas of India, Consulate of Pakistan, the Cultural Development Fund, and Milano Talent Factory – featuring speakers including Aaron Padacké Zegoubé, Chadian filmmaker and founder of Les Ateliers Touma; Mohamed Ghazala, vice president, ASIFA and head of animation, AUD in Egypt; Bírol Güven, director general of Cinema Birol, scriptwriter and producer; Migde Velázquez, senior production executive in global series, Amazon Studios; Tom Pistohl, production executive at Amazon MGM Studios; Basil Al Alola, chief business officer at the Cultural Development Fund; and Rasha AlEmam, CEO and co-founder, Yellow Camel Studios, Jeddah.
The Souk Talents strand continues to “empower emerging film professionals” from Saudi Arabia and the Arab region through a “dynamic” program of workshops, mentorship and interactive talks. This year, the initiative expands on The Gems Program with four complementary strands: Filmmakers Gems, a personalized program for directors presenting short films in competition; Film Critics Gems, a reflective space for open discussions on the role and impact of film criticism; Short Film Gems, an initiative to support emerging filmmakers to develop their projects, with a strong focus on strategic industry collaborations (The Pitch Buzz and Raw Cut, in collaboration with Alfwad, The Righters House, and the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival); and Industry Gems, a mentorship program with support from industry partners including Cannes Makers.
The Talents Open Talks program presents a series of “engaging sessions exploring the varied dimensions of filmmaking.” Sessions include The Film Journey Live – inviting the audience to “actively take part in exploring the complete production journey of an independent film idea from development and casting to sales and release”; How to Make Your Short Shine with Canadian executive Jennifer Chen, focusing on distribution and festival strategy for short films; and Cinephilomania, an inspiring conversation with filmmaker Cherien Dabis “reflecting on her creative journey and influences.” The Talent team will also deliver Souk Connections, a daily opportunity for delegates to sign up for 15-minute meetings with a wide selection of industry experts attending the Souk and the festival.
The Souk additionally offers daily networking opportunities in association with industry partners including Shanghai Intl. Film Festival, Seera Studios, the African Culture Agency and the University of Southern California, as well as exclusive opportunities for Guild and Souk Pro members to view films from the Red Sea IFF’s feature film program.
The previously announced Project Market will take place during the Souk, presenting 40 feature and TV projects in development, production and post-production which showcase 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 at the Cultural Square.