Red Sea IFF 2025
The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF- December 4-13) has selected 40 feature film and series projects for this year’s edition of the Red Sea Souk Project Market – the Festival’s platform designed to bolster international co-productions and grant access to new projects and talent.
24 of the selected titles are currently in development or production, 12 of which have been developed by the Red Sea Labs over the year as part of the Feature Film Program. This program is in 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.
Also included in the final selection are 8 feature length works in progress, plus 8 episodic projects which are being developed through the Red Sea Labs - SeriesLab in partnership with Film Independent.
Holly Daniel, Red Sea Souk Director, 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.”
A GROWING MARKET
Following 2024’s opening of submissions to filmmakers across Asia for the first time, this year the proportion of selected projects from the region has grown to 35%. In addition, 18 filmmakers have had their debut features selected, and over 42% of the projects are created by female filmmakers. For 2025, 1900 applications were received across the Red Sea Souk and Labs, from the Festival’s focus regions of the Arab World, Asia and Africa.
All selected projects will be considered for the Red Sea Souk Awards provided by the Red Sea Fund, alongside a number of award partners to be announced soon. These awards offer crucial financial support at various stages of a project's lifecycle, including development, production, and post-production, as well as dedicated support for projects within the Lodge and SeriesLab.