TFL Selections & Awards
Announcing the 12 selected projects for the Red Sea Lodge 2019!
October 2, 2019
We are happy to present the 12 feature film projects that were selected to participated in the new Red Sea Lodge programme, launched in partnership with the Red Sea International Film Festival. The three workshops in the programme will all take place in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).
The first workshop will be held October 31st to November 11th and will focus on project and professional development; the second workshop, held from January 22th to 29th, will explore the production and post-production processes. Last but not least, the final workshop, from March 9th to 14th, will be attached to the Market of the Festival and will prepare the participants for their meetings at the Market as well as strategies for the future.
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.
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.
The selected projects are:
Saudi Projects
1. Practicing Polygamy
Directed and written by Malak Qouta
Produced by Bentley Brown
An animated feature-length documentary exploring the customs, traditions, and daily reality of polygamy in Saudi Arabia.
2. Dr. Adly’s Smile
Directed by Ali Alsumayin
Written by Fatima Albanawi
Produced by Sarah Elnawasrah
Who saves who when there is family turmoil? When Dr. Adly’s mental health declines after getting divorced, his daughter Basma puts her life on hold to rescue him from his own delusions.
3. Four Acts of Disruption
Directed and written by Hussam Alhulwah
Produced by Mohammed Alhamoud
As Arab Bedouins and foreign prospectors meet, the future of the newly founded Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be shaped. This conflict of vision and tradition is told through the stories of Saudi Ayad and American geologist Roy.
4. When the Star is Falling
Directed and written by Mohammed Salman Alsaffar
Produced by Mousa Althonian
One woman, one kingdom, many interconnected narratives. Short, linked vignettes jump through time and place to tell the story of a culture and a life shaped by diverse landscapes – from the traditions of the desert to the modern tumult of the city.
5. A Trip to Disney
Directed and written by Maha Alsaati
Produced by Hussain Slam
The journey of a jilted lover. Abandoned in Saudi, a woman travels to Florida, anxious to encounter the man who has left her behind. Finding herself in the Disney empire, she discovers she is not his princess.
6. Sharshaf
Directed by Hend Alfahhad
Written by Manal Alawebeel
Produced by Talal Ayeel
Tracking the shockwaves of the 1979 Grand Mosque Seizure, a catastrophe that curtailed social and cultural freedom in Saudi Arabia, through the life of a typical middle-class woman, Haila and her love of film. This is the story of a nation and a generation.
Arab Projects
1. Inchalla it’s a Boy (Jordan)
Directed and written by Amjad Alrasheed
Produced by Aseel Abu Ayyash
Grieving the sudden death of her husband, Nawal must confront the realities of inheritance laws which rule that, without a son, she stands to lose the home she bought for herself and her daughter.
2. A Journey of Bullets and Bread (Egypt)
Directed and written by Mohammad Hammad
Produced by Mohammed Hefzi and Kholoud Saad
When a chance encounter between wild Awad and the shy, intellectual Youssef forges an unlikely friendship, their lives become tangled in acts of fate and betrayal.
3. Scheherazade Goes Silent (Palestine)
Directed and written by Amira Diab
Produced by Raya Aburub
Tragedy forces Shams to confront choices amid strict expectations. As she prepares to star in a dance piece based on 1001 Nights, she must live with decisions that put her at odds with her society.
4. The Basement Notes (Lebanon)
Directed and written by Hadi Ghandour
Produced by Habib Attia and Molka Mheni
In defiance of militant forces who have captured their city, three brothers form a band. As their music spreads underground, a desire for recognition puts their lives at risk.
5. I Am Arzé (Lebanon)
Directed by Mira Shaib
Written by Louay Khraish
Produced by Zeina Badran.
Desperate for money to buy the scooter that will allow her to work, single mother Arzé steals a gold bracelet from her sister Layla. Now she’s got wheels, she’s getting along better with her son Kinan – until he discovers the scooter is stolen.
6. The Arabic Interpreter (Iraq)
Directed and written by Ali Kareem
Produced by Khalid Abu Sharif
Hassan is a frustrated actor; unable to find work in the theatre, he takes a job as an Arabic-German Interpreter so he can stay in Berlin. Listening to the refugees’ harrowing stories, Hassan relives the wars he experienced in Iraq.
Click here to access the full article on the Red Sea Film Fest website and get more information on the projects & the selection committee: https://redseafilmfest.com/red-sea-lodge/selected-projects