Southeast Asia
Philippines’ SineMaya Fest Wraps Fourth Edition; Hands Awards To ‘Alab’ & ‘Light By The Sea’
Funded by micro financing platform CARD MRI, the initiative aims to support storytellers from rural and working-class communities.
Liz Shackleton
Korea & Japan
‘Lost Land’ Wins Best Film At Red Sea International Film Festival
The Silver Yusr was awarded to 'All That’s Left Of You' from Cherien Dabis, while the Jury Prize went to 'Hijra' from Saudi filmmaker Shahad Ameen.
Middle East
Saudi & Egypt Emerge As Box Office Bright Spots In MENA Region
Box office growth in two MENA markets dominated discussions during the Souk Talks at this year’s Red Sea International Film Festival. Saudi’s box office picked up this year, after a slump in 2024, due to a diverse range of local and international titles. Meanwhile, the Egyptian market is
Africa
Kenyan Filmmaker Zippy Nyaruri On The Ten-Year Journey Behind Red Sea Competition Title ‘Truck Mama’
If you’ve ever struggled in your career as a woman in a man’s world, spare a thought for Evaline Wambua Mutuku, the subject of Zippy Nyaruri’s documentary Truck Mama, whose job used to involve driving articulated lorries across East Africa, sometimes into war-torn countries like South Sudan.
Africa
‘Playhouse’, ‘Fiction’ & ‘Dhel’ Among Winning Projects At Red Sea Souk
'About Love & September Laws' from Sudan's Mohamed Kordofani was also among the most awarded projects.
News
KC Global Boards ‘Laya’ With Andrea Brillantes & Singapore-Thai Series ‘Decalcomania’
US-based outfit is also co-producing 'Lost And Found', starring Shawn Thia, and Taiwanese comedy 'A Controversial Entertainer'.
Middle East
Netflix-WB Deal Threatens Cinemas But May Help Indie Filmmakers, Say Red Sea Souk Speakers
Netflix’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros poses a huge potential threat to global theatrical infrastructure, but on the other hand may provide opportunities for independent filmmakers, said speakers on a Red Sea Souk panel entitled 'Futureproofing Our Industry'. Gaetan Bruel, president of French film agency CNC, made
Southeast Asia
Chinese Documentary ‘Always’ Wins Best Asian Feature At Singapore Fest
Sri Lanka's 'Riverstone' picked up two awards, while Thailand's 'A Useful Ghost' was awarded a Special Mention.
![Cherien Dabis [L] talks to Lana Komsany](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f6/3b/f63bba50-4e07-4fdb-a685-47f18f3c5b84/content/images/size/w600/2025/12/Cherien-Dabis-panel.jpg)
Middle East
Cherien Dabis Talks Palestinian Drama ‘All That’s Left Of You’: “Maybe We Have A Responsibility To Heal Our Trauma”
Palestinian-American filmmaker Cherien Dabis shared her filmmaking journey and the logistics behind making her latest film, multi-generational family drama All That’s Left Of You, in the Souk Talks at Red Sea International Film Festival. Set in the West Bank, the film follows a Palestinian family across three generations from
Streamlined Insights
JAFF Market & Indonesia’s Booming Industry; Netflix-Warner Bros Deal
!['Wolfram' [credit: Dylan River]](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f6/3b/f63bba50-4e07-4fdb-a685-47f18f3c5b84/content/images/size/w600/2025/12/Wolfram----Dylan-River.jpg)
Australia & New Zealand
Australian Production Spend Up 43% But Local Shoots See Reduced Share
As in other territories, production spend is shifting towards international features and SVOD and away from local free-to-air programming.
Southeast Asia