Red Sea Souq has expanded in scale for its fifth edition, opening today (December 6th) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Billing itself as the premier film market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), organizers announced that the souk will feature 90 stands, a 20% increase from last year, including 166 exhibitors from more than 45 countries. It has pavilions for 13 countries.
It also expects the number of participants to exceed 6,000 industry executives who were certified last year.
Holly Daniel, Director of Red Sea Souk, explained that both the market venue and program are larger than in 2024, and the main focus this year is to create a functional, dedicated space for participants to gather and network. A garden area in the center of the souk is envisioned as a place for “daily networking events and social moments when everyone comes together.”
Highlights include the Souk Talks program, which is curated by. screen Contributing Editor Wendy Mitchell. Speakers will include representatives from global streamers, including Disney+ MENA Director Tamim Fares and Netflix Nonfiction Commissioner for the Middle East and Africa Imane Mezer Gibran.
Meanwhile, the Souq Project Market will showcase 40 feature and television projects in development, production and post-production from Africa, Asia and the MENA region. Recent films passing through the Souq Project Market include works by Morad Mostafa; Aisha can’t flyThis film premiered in the “Un Certain Regard” section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Dandelion’s Odyssey From the work of Japan’s Momoko Seto, which was screened at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
Elsewhere, the Souq Talent Department will host a program of workshops, mentorships and interactive talks aimed at early career film professionals from Saudi Arabia and the Arab region.
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