RED SEA LODGE 2019-2020
Selected Projects
An international committee chose the winning teams out of 120 submissions, drawn from 16 countries. Female directors helm 5 out of the 12 successful projects, and 5 of the projects have female producers attached. The selection includes six Saudi teams alongside projects from Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, and Lebanon, demonstrating a commitment to furthering new work from the Arab world.
The committee comprised of industry veterans, including: Mahmoud Sabbagh (Festival Director, Red Sea International Film Festival), Julie Bergeron (Head of the Red Sea Souk), Antoine Khalife (Director of the Arab Program, Red Sea International Film Festival), Jane Williams (Head of Industry, TorinoFilmLab), and Savina Neirotti (Executive Director, TorinoFilmLab).
They were supported by a team of readers, including Fahad Alestaa (Saudi Scriptwriter and Film Critic), and leading media figure Layaly Badr (Arab Radio & TV Network). Saudi producer Jumana Zahid leads the Festival’s development program, as Manager of the Red Sea Lodge. Through unique storytelling styles, the Saudi projects deal with significant socio-political and economic underpinnings, including the discovery of oil and the siege of the Holy Mosque in 1979. The projects also explore the position of women and modern-day challenges to mental health, such as loneliness and isolation.
Red Sea Lodge Winning Projects
The Red Sea Lodge Production Grant for a Saudi Project was awarded to Sharshaf by Hind Alfahhad, written by Hana Alomair and produced by Talal Ayel. The jury said they were enamoured by the “Touching and strong female character, and the bonds in a relationship that can bring us together and tear us apart.” They were also intrigued that it was set in “A period of Saudi Arabia’s history the world knows so little about, unveiled to us by Hind Alfahhad.”
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Hind Alfahhad’s Sharshaf is set in 1978. Haila, the daughter of a conservative Imam, marries Mosa’ed, the son of a rich and well-known fabric stores owner. The young couple spend their honeymoon in Cairo. Sharshaf is a romantic drama that follows Haila as she gets to know what she wants through the magic of cinema and how this discovery is challenged later as extremism invades the society.
The Red Sea Lodge Award for an Arab Project was awarded to Bullets & Bread by Mohammad Hammad, produced by Kholoud Saad and Mohamed Hefzy. Mohammed Hammad’s Bullets & Bread is based on the story of the writer Tamer Abdrab Elnaby. About paths were not meant to cross and a true friendship that grows out of it.
The jury enjoyed the dynamic at the film’s heart which they described as “Soldier and Gypsy; Laurel and Hardy; Friendship and Adversity. We can’t wait to be part of this road trip, this cinematic voyage.”
The Jury also gave a special mention to the Saudi Project Four Acts of Disruption directed by Hussam AlHulwah and produced by Mohammad Alhamoud, which will be awarded $25,000 by the Red Sea Lodge for further development. The story is set in the 1930s while the newly formed Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is adjusting to the arrival of American oil prospectors. The jury gave special recognition to the project and stated “The film has huge potential and we hope that Hussam AlHulwah and Mohammad Alhamoud can continue to develop the project and bring it to fruition.”