Red Sea Souk 2025: Full Line-Up

Red Sea International Film Festival (December 4-13) has selected 40 feature film and series projects for this year’s Red Sea Souk Project Market, including 24 projects in development or production, eight works-in-progress and eight episodic series.
 
Among the 24 projects in development or production, 12 have been developed by Red Sea Labs through a partnership with Torino Film Lab and sponsored by Film Alula. The remaining 12 projects will receive pitch mentoring from producer Anna Katchko, script consultant David Pope and sales agent Gabor Greiner. The eight episodic projects are being developed through the Red Sea Labs - SeriesLab in partnership with Film Independent.
 
Following the opening of submissions to filmmakers from across Asia last year, Red Sea Souk said the proportion of selected projects from the region has grown to 35%. In addition, 18 of the selected projects are debut features and more than 42% are created by female filmmakers. In total, around 1,900 applications were received across the Red Sea Souk and Labs from the festival’s focus regions of the Arab World, Asia and Africa.
 
Alumni returning to Red Sea Souk with new projects this year include Arvin Belarmino, Wissam Charaf and Shokir Kholikov, who have previously screened titles as part of the Red Sea International Film Festival.
 
Red Sea Souk Director Holly Daniel said: “Our Souk Project Market is a vital part of the Red Sea Film Foundation’s ecosystem – acting as a vibrant hub for new voices to collaborate on innovative projects and ideas. Celebrating a five year arc of this programme also means we are welcoming back previous alumni with new work, which is a mark of the growing legacy of the Souk.
 
“This year’s selection of titles is diverse, creative and powerful and provide huge opportunities for development, and we’re looking forward to introducing them to new potential industry partners at the fifth edition of the festival in December.”

PROJECTS-IN-DEVELOPMENT & PRODUCTION:

A Noble Death (Saudi Arabia)
By Dalia Baeshen
Debut, Fiction
 
A Time To Wander (Tunisia)
By Rim Nakhli
Debut, Fiction
 
About Love And September Laws (Sudan, France, Germany, Sweden)
By Mohamed Kordofani
Fiction
 
Cold Ashes Can Cause Forest Fires (France, India)
By Ashmita Guha Neogi
Debut, Fiction
 
Coumba (Senegal, France)
By Mamadou Dia
Fiction
 
Dhel (Saudi Arabia)
By Dania Altayeb
Debut, Fiction
 
Diaphanous (Iran, Hong Kong, France, Norway, Mexico)
By Dornaz Hajiha
Fiction
 
Fiction (Thailand)
By Anocha Suwichakornpong
Creative Documentary
 
Green Corpse (Saudi Arabia)
By Khaled Zidan
Debut, Fiction
 
Holiday (France, Lebanon, Italy)
By Wissam Charaf
Fiction
 
Infidels (Lebanon, Canada)
By Eli Jean Tahchi
Debut, Fiction
 
Leg (Kazakhstan, Italy)
By Shokir Kholikov
Fiction
 
Nkanai (Kenya)
By Bruno Tanya
Debut, Fiction
 
Philax (Turkey, Italy, Greece)
By Ruken Tekes
Debut, Fiction
 
Playhouse (Palestine, Germany, France, Cyprus)
By Maha Haj
Fiction
 
Positive (Saudi Arabia)
By Hanaa Saleh Alfassi
Debut, Fiction
 
Price Of Evil (Sudan, Norway)
By Ibrahim Mursal
Debut, Fiction
 
Salma And The Moon And The Stars (Saudi Arabia)
By Maram Taibah
Debut, Fiction
 
Spaceman In Kongo (DRC, UK, Germany)
By Maisha Maene
Debut, Creative Documentary
 
Street Education (Saudi Arabia)
By Yaser B.
Fiction
 
The Daughter (China, Taiwan, France)
By Tian Guan
Debut, Fiction
 
To Catch A Falling Sky (Nigeria, UK)
By Cheta Chukwu
Fiction
 
Unholy (Indonesia)
By Mohammad Reza Fahriyansyah
Fiction
 
Veil Whisperer (China)
By Iris Lanhua Ma
Fiction

WORKS-IN-PROGRESS:

A Girl Unknown (China, France)
By Jing Zou
Debut, Fiction

A Moon For Every River (China, France)
By You Gu
Debut, Fiction

Benimana (Rwanda, Gabon, Côte D’ivoire, France, Norway)
By Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo
Debut, Fiction

La Pyramide (Nigeria, UK, US, Senegal, Brazil)
By Cj 'Fiery' Obasi
Fiction

Ria (Philippines, Norway, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Japan)
By Arvin Belarmino
Debut, Fiction

The Last Days Of RM (France, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar)
By Amin Sidi-Boumédiène
Fiction

The Prodigal Son (Tunisia, France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Qatar)
By Rani Massalha
Fiction

Yesterday The Eye Didn't Sleep (Belgium, Palestine, Lebanon)
By Rakan Mayasi
Debut, Fiction

SERIESLAB:

Dérift (Saudi Arabia)
By Zahra Zuhair

Flash (South Korea)
By Sooyoung Kim

Flyweights (Kazakhstan)
By Eldar Shibanov

Mad Bounty And The Midnight Gun (Uganda)
By Talemwa Pius

Money Town (Kenya)
By Tony Koros

Side Effects (Egypt)
By Hind Metwalli

Society (India)
By Sushant Nagpal

Till Death Do Us Part (Nigeria)
By Tomi Folowosele