LONDON: The Saudi-based Red Sea International Film Festival has announced that it will provide funding for 14 Arabic-language films, including three being produced by acclaimed Saudi filmmakers.
The announcement was made at the Venice Film Festival, where the Red Sea Festival and a number of the Kingdom’s filmmakers have a substantial presence.
The films selected will receive funding for the production and post-production stages of development, derived from the festival’s $14 million development pot — conceived to support filmmakers from the Arab world.
Among the 14 films selected are three from Saudi directors: “Route 10” by Omar Naim, “Basma” by Fatima Al-Banawi and “Quareer,” which will be co-directed by various artists.
Creators from across the Arab world will receive grants for their films, which were selected from a pool of 650 applicants.
The fund aims to support the production of 100 films in its first year, and the newly announced films to receive funding will be part of that effort.
A second round of movies selected for grants will be announced in December, and the Red Sea International Film Festival’s inaugural edition will take place in Jeddah from Dec. 6-15.
