Saudi initiative expands hunt for rising stars of filmmaking to encompass all of Asia
Saudi Arabia is expanding its film initiative to support new talent. The Lodge, a long-term residency programme by Red Sea Labs developed to back films from the kingdom, returns this year. For the first time, however, submissions were open to the wider Asian continent.
“The Lodge continues to empower emerging filmmakers and contribute to diversifying and enriching the global cinematic scene,” said Ryan Ashore, head of Red Sea Labs.
“We are looking forward to welcoming the new talents from Asia, the Arab world and Africa, starting from our retreat in AlUla alongside our partners, immersing them in a unique experience that refines their inspiring narratives through collaborative initiatives that transcend geographical borders.”
The initiative, which falls under the Red Sea International Film Festival umbrella, is known for championing feature films from the Arab region and Africa.
Previous projects that have gone through The Lodge include Amjad Al Rasheed’s Inshallah A Boy, which was part of the programme in 2020. It explores Jordan’s archaic patriarchal inheritance laws and screened at Cannes last year.
Sixteen projects will be selected as part of this year’s programme, which runs in collaboration with Torino FilmLab and is sponsored by Film AlUla.
“Continuing our journey of expanding and evolving the Red Sea Foundation’s programmes, we are pleased to announce the first expansion of one of our industry programmes as it broadens its offerings to promising cinematic voices from Asia,” Shivani Pandya, managing director of the Red Sea Film Foundation, said. “It is a strategic move aimed at bolstering our cinematic communities’ presence on the global stage, fostering cultural exchange and enriching the cinematic landscape worldwide.”
The Lodge offers workshops and mentorship programmes to help filmmakers develop their projects. It will offer training across script development and film production, as well as financing, sales and marketing. The workshops will take place across various locations in the kingdom, including in AlUla.
The programme will start with a prelude workshop exclusive to the Saudi teams. The chosen filmmakers will have the opportunity to present their projects at the Red Sea International Film Festival later this year.