In cooperation with TorinoFilmLab, Red Sea Lodge seeks to empower cinematic talents to launch and succeed in the film industry.
The third edition of Red Sea Lodge is now open for submissions from Saudi and Arab directors, producers, and scriptwriters, until February 11, 2022.
The Red Sea Lodge nurtures the next generation of filmmakers from Saudi Arabia and the Arab world, in partnership with TorinoFilmLab.
Transforming projects from ideas to reality, the Red Sea Lodge offers a ten-month creative and professional training programme covering five workshops that take participants through every step of the film creation process, with guidance and mentorship from industry professionals, tutors, and speakers from around the world with varying backgrounds in the film industry. For filmmakers on the cusp of their big break, the Red Sea Lodge, in partnership with TorinoFilmLab, selects projects for creative and professional mentorship, development, and next-level industry opportunities.
Jumana Zahid, Red Sea Lodge Manager said: “We are so excited to see the raw talent and ingenuity that we will uncover with the third edition of the Red Sea Lodge. The intensive training programme was created to mould a concept into a live piece of art on the cinema screen. We want to help aspiring Saudi and Arab filmmakers inspire others through the stories they tell in their films and leave their mark on the film industry locally and internationally. Our aim is to see the Saudi film industry flourish by investing in our talents and giving them the tools and guidance they need to excel.”
The programme is open to teams from Saudi Arabia and the Arab world, working on a feature film project at any stage of development. A maximum of twelve project teams will be selected, at least six of which will be Saudi teams, with the remainder from across the Arab world. In 2022, the programme includes five workshops, three of which will be online and the other two will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The workshops will be conducted in English, but Arabic translation will be available for those who require it. Furthermore, scripts are not mandatory for submissions as the programme helps with script development. Alongside ongoing script development sessions, the programme features a producers’ coaching programme and covers professional development, production, financing, sales, and marketing. During the workshop participants will also have the opportunity to work with international experts in the fields of directing, cinematography, sound editing, post-production, and sales.
Following the intensive development process and meetings with industry professionals, teams will have the opportunity to pitch their projects to investors and financiers at the festival’s project market, the Red Sea Souk. The teams will also compete for the annual Red Sea Lodge Production Awards, where two winning projects will be awarded a grant of $100,000 each. The selected winners will also receive an Arab Premiere for their film at the next Red Sea International Film Festival.
