Red Sea Fund Backs 30 Asian & African Projects In 2026 Funding Cycles
Grantees include Cannes Camera d'Or winner Ben'imana, Theja Rio's Angh and Kamila Andini's Four Seasons In Java.
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Fund has awarded grants to 30 projects from the Arab world, Asia and Africa in its first two funding cycles of 2026.
Cycle 1, dedicated to projects in post-production, has supported 13 projects including two that had their world premieres in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes film festival - Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo’s Ben’imana, which won the Camera d’Or, and Laïla Marrakchi’s Strawberries.
Also receiving Cycle 1 funding are two films that premiered at Toronto – Theja Rio’s Angh, which won the festival’s Platform award, and Kamila Andini’s Four Seasons In Java – as well as Venice title Al Baraneya, directed by Egypt's Ashgan El-Hamus, and Vietnamese filmmaker Lê Bảo’s Hearing, which premiered in Locarno.
Cycle 2 for projects in production has awarded funding to 17 projects including five Saudi projects and two from the Philippines – Hum, from Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, and Martika Escobar’s Daughters Of The Sea (see full list of grantees below).
The fund’s announcement comes shortly after news that this year’s edition of Red Sea International Film Festival has been postponed until 2027, suggesting that the festival organisers are keen to stress that they’re still actively involved in funding.
While the organisers cited a review of “timing and logistical requirements” as the reason for postponing the festival, Saudi is experiencing an escalation in its conflict with Yemen-backed Houthi rebels.
“These two cycles reflect exactly what the Red Sea Fund is here to do: identify bold, distinctive projects and support filmmakers at critical stages of their journey,” said Red Sea Fim Foundation CEO Faisal Baltyuor.
“The international momentum already building around several Cycle 1 titles is a strong testament to the calibre of the work, and we are excited to see the Cycle 2 projects continue that journey.”
Red Sea Fund 2026: Funding News
CYCLE 1: POST-PRODUCTION (13 PROJECTS):
Hearing (Vietnam, Singapore, France, Norway, Indonesia, Thailand, China)
Dir: Lê Bảo
Who Stole My Cross? (South Korea, Germany)
Dir: Park Syeyoung
Al Baraneya (Egypt)
Dir: Ashgan El-Hamus
Ben’imana (Rwanda)
Dir: Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo
Angh (India)
Dir: Theja Rio
Bells Of Kabul (France, Germany, Belgium)
Dir: Chabname Zariab
Four Seasons In Java (Indonesia)
Dir: Kamila Andini
Grey Glow (Lebanon, France, Qatar)
Dir: Michèle Tyan
Selvi (India)
Dir: Sailesh Rathnakumar
Guardian Of The Island (Ethiopia)
Dir: Sewmehon Yismaw Sendekie
On The Donkey Route (Palestine, Canada)
Dir: Ahmad Al-Bazz
Tomorrow Will Be Rain (Syria, Turkey, UK)
Dir: Cemal Alomar
Strawberries (Morocco, Spain, France, Belgium)
Dir: Laïla Marrakchi
CYCLE 2: PRODUCTION (17 PROJECTS):
Remind Me To Forget (Saudi Arabia)
Dir: Lama Jamjoom
Daughters Of The Sea (Philippines)
Dir: Martika Escobar
The Northern Bald Ibis (Germany, Lebanon, Luxembourg)
Dir: Ameer Fakher Eldin
Hum (Philippines)
Dir: Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan
Pieces (South Africa)
Dir: Imran Hamdulay
Gaza Forever (Palestine, Jordan, France)
Dir: Tarzan Nasser, Arab Nasser
Lotus Feet (Malaysia)
Dir: Amanda Eu
The Side Effects Of Trusting Life (Lebanon, Germany, Norway)
Dir: Ahmad Ghossein
Green Corpse (Saudi Arabia)
Dir: Khaled Zidan
The Scapegoat (Turkey)
Dir: Yılmaz Özdil
Leg (Kazakhstan, Italy)
Dir: Shokir Kholikov
The Last Oasis (China)
Dir: Zhengyu Shao
Maria’s Mansion (Saudi Arabia)
Dir: Raed Alsemari
Let Us Fight (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Dir: Eli Maene
Tarfaya (Morocco)
Dir: Sofia Alaoui, Annabella Nezri
Bait Bahar (Saudi Arabia)
Dir: Yaser Hammad
Microwave (Saudi Arabia)
Dir: Mishary Almazyaad
