Fourteen Arabic-language feature films are set to receive production and post-production support from the Red Sea Fund, a $14 million initiative launched by Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Film Festival.
The films, which include works of fiction as well as documentaries, hail from Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
The selection was announced during the ongoing Venice Film Festival, where the Red Sea Film Festival and figures from Saudi Arabia's film industry have a notable presence.
Two of the fund’s recipients are already on the international festival circuit.
The Sea Ahead by Lebanese filmmaker and Short Film Palme d’Or winner Ely Dagher was presented at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, while Jordanian director Darin J Sallam is set to premiere her first feature, Farha, at the coming Toronto International Film Festival.
Other films that have made the selection include Communion by Nejib Belkadhi; Take Me to the Cinema by Albaqer Jaafar; Soula by Salah Issaad; Quareer by Ragheed Al Nahdi, Norah Almowald, Ruba Khafagy, Fatma Alhazmi and Noor Alameer; Life Suits Me Well by Al Hadi Ulad-Mohand; Recovery by Rashid Masharawi; Route 10 by Omar Naim; Basma by Fatima Al-Banawi; I Am Arze by Mira Shaib; Inshallah A Boy by Amjad Al-Rasheed; The Arabic Interpreter by Ali Kareem Obaid; and The Wind Also Sings by Hadi Ghandour.
The 14 films mark the first round of selections for this year’s funding programme. More than 650 projects were submitted for funding consideration.
The fund was initially announced as a $10 million pot in June. However, that sum was increased to $14 million during the Cannes Film Festival in July.
The Red Sea Fund aims to support 100 film and TV projects in its inaugural year. More of the fund’s recipients will be revealed in December, when the Red Sea Film Festival is scheduled to take place in Jeddah.
“Arab cinema continues to captivate audiences around the world with unique and authentic stories that showcase the extraordinary creative talent who bring to life the region’s rich cultural tapestry,” said Edouard Waintrop, newly appointed director of the Red Sea International Film Festival.
“Supporting films out of the traditional cycle gives us the means to develop and nurture Arab talent throughout the year and fund even more compelling projects.”
Picture of Joumblatt and Hariri breaking bread sets Twitter alight
Mr Joumblatt’s pessimism regarding the Lebanese political situation didn’t stop him from enjoying a cheerful dinner on Tuesday with several politicians including Mr Hariri.
Caretaker Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury tweeted a picture of the group sitting around a table at a discrete fish restaurant in Beirut’s upscale Sodeco area.
Mr Joumblatt told The National that the fish served at Kelly’s Fish lounge had been very good.
“They really enjoyed their time”, remembers the restaurant owner. “Mr Hariri was taking selfies with everybody”.
Mr Hariri and Mr Joumblatt often have dinner together to discuss recent political developments.
Mr Joumblatt was a close ally of Mr Hariri’s assassinated father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The pair were leading figures in the political grouping against the 15-year Syrian occupation of Lebanon that ended after mass protests in 2005 in the wake of Rafik Hariri’s murder. After the younger Hariri took over his father’s mantle in 2004, the relationship with Mr Joumblatt endured.
However, the pair have not always been so close. In the run-up to the election last year, Messrs Hariri and Joumblatt went months without speaking over an argument regarding the new proportional electoral law to be used for the first time. Mr Joumblatt worried that a proportional system, which Mr Hariri backed, would see the influence of his small sect diminished.
With so much of Lebanese politics agreed in late-night meetings behind closed doors, the media and pundits put significant weight on how regularly, where and with who senior politicians meet.
In the picture, alongside Messrs Khoury and Hariri were Mr Joumbatt and his wife Nora, PSP politician Wael Abou Faour and Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Nazih el Nagari.
The picture of the dinner led to a flurry of excitement on Twitter that it signified an imminent government formation. “God willing, white smoke will rise soon and Walid Beik [a nickname for Walid Joumblatt] will accept to give up the minister of industry”, one user replied to the tweet. “Blessings to you…We would like you to form a cabinet”, wrote another.
The next few days will be crucial in determining whether these wishes come true.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
