Red Sea Fund Cements Global Festival Footprint with 18 Supported Titles in Venice, Toronto
The Red Sea Fund, part of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival Foundation, is strengthening its position on the international festival circuit, with 18 film projects receiving its support at the Venice Film Festival in Italy (September 2–12) and the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada, which opens on September 10.
In Venice’s official selection, the foundation’s presence spans multiple sections: “Dialogue with the Sea” by director Moayad Alayan and “Goria” by Levan Koguashvili are featured in the “Under the Lights of Venice” section, while “House of Wind” by August Bernard Kouamo Yanghou competes in the Orizzonti (Horizons) competition.
The foundation’s involvement extends to the Venice Production Bridge, the festival’s industry platform, through several projects in its programmes, including “Solar Image” by Asmae Al-Mudir, “Holiday” by Wissam Sharaf and “Children of the Ghoul” by Ismail El Iraqi—all backed by the Red Sea Fund and the Red Sea Market within the Venice Co-Funding Market.
Final Cut in Venice
Support is also prominent in the “Final Cut in Venice” programme, where five of the six selected films have received funding from the Red Sea Film Foundation: “From Al-Rabaa to Thursday” by Sofia Jama, “Eldorado: Taste of the South” by Alaeddine Aljem, “Mihal Safari” by Abraham Gezahon, “Occupation and State of Affairs” by Basil Ghandour, and “Affliction” by Youssef Chebbi.
At the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, seven foundation-supported titles feature in the “Centre Piece” programme: “Unknown Girl” by Jing Zhu, “Benimana” by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, “Dialogue with the Sea” by Moayad Alayan, “The Four Seasons in Java” by Kamila Andini, “Soumsoum… Night of the Stars” by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, “The Violinist” by Erwin Han and Raul Garcia, and “We Are All Strangers” by Anthony Chen.
Mohammed Kablawi, head of Sweden’s Malmö Arab Film Festival, said the strong showing of Red Sea Fund–backed works signals a significant evolution in the fund’s impact, particularly given the diversity of films and projects and their spread across festival sections and industry programmes.
“The importance of this presence is not limited to the numbers; it lies in its geographical reach, as the fund’s support is not confined to Arab cinema but includes experiences from Africa and Asia, giving voices and talents from these regions greater opportunities to reach international partners, markets and platforms,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Kablawi added that the true value of this support is evident in its effect on films’ trajectories—from development and production through to major festival placements—describing the approach as a long-term investment in a more sustainable film industry that enhances the global presence of Arab, African and Asian cinema.
FIPRESCI
FIPRESCI President, critic Ahmed Shouky, said the Red Sea Fund has become, within a few years, one of the region’s most important film-support bodies, having initially focused on the Arab world and Africa before expanding to include Asia, now covering a wide geographical area and a large pool of talent.
“The fund is not limited to a single stage; its support extends to development, production and post-production, giving it greater capacity to back films from their inception to completion,” Shouky told Asharq Al-Awsat.
He added: “This geographical spread aligns with the growing interest of major festivals in Arab, African and Asian cinemas, which seek broader representation of these regions in their programmes; consequently, supporting talent and films from these environments naturally translates into their presence at international festivals.”
Kuwaiti critic Abdul Sattar Naji said the Red Sea has become one of the most prominent bridges between Arab cinema and the global film scene. “This experience presents a different image of the Arab person, through a solid cultural presence that transcends the stereotypes that for decades were associated with Arabs and Muslims, and gives the world an opportunity to learn about an Arab contribution based on creativity, openness and interaction with different cultures,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Egyptian critic Mohamed Abdel Rahman noted that the fund’s importance is measured not only by the number of films supported but by the shift it has brought about in the relationship between Arab films and their place on the global cinematic map.
“The fund does not treat a film merely as a product needing financing, but as a voice that needs to find its way to its audience, making support part of a broader system for creating opportunities and forging new pathways for film production that has long sought a window into international festivals and markets,” he said.
Abdel Rahman added that the repeated presence of Red Sea–supported films at international festivals carries implications beyond individual successes: “The accumulation of these participations means there is now a generation of films and filmmakers that has a real opportunity to enter the circles of world cinema.”
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