The Red Sea Fund has partnered with Film AlUla to offer a production grant for filmmakers with projects set in the versatile and diverse landscape of AlUla. Film AlUla is driving the development of the film and TV industry in AlUla, located in northwest Arabia, and committed to championing talent from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The partnership will help develop a strong ecosystem in Saudi while providing a platform that empowers a visionary approach amongst regional filmmakers.
As the newly appointed strategic partner of the Red Sea Fund’s third production cycle, Film AlUla will support filmmakers from the MENA region with financial production support and the opportunity to complete a portion of filming in AlUla. Projects from Saudi Arabia, the Arab regions, and Africa are eligible for Film AlUla’s fund – with the aim of financing at least ten projects, with the possibility of increasing the number of projects depending on the film selection after the Red Sea Fund finishes its selection process.
Recipients of the fund will be encouraged to be creative in their use of AlUla’s internal and external spaces, which includes luxury resorts as well as red, black, and yellow dunes, rock formations, mountains, riverbeds and valleys. In addition to the grant, they will also be awarded additional financial, logistical and administrative support on-ground.
Mohammed Al Turki, CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation, said: “Our aim as an organization is to uplift and support filmmakers from the Arab and African region and to promote the industry in Saudi Arabia – which is home to incredible filming locations like AlUla. We are delighted to have Film AlUla as a partner on this third cycle of funding, which will provide fund recipients the opportunity to bring their creative visions to life on the big screen as well as showcase the beauty and diversity of this country, with the backing of two significant partners.”
Charlene Deleon-Jones, Executive Director, Film AlUla said: “We are committed to developing a well-rounded film sector in AlUla – one that goes above and beyond to help filmmakers, local and international, new and established, bring their stories to screen. In this we have an equal partner in The Red Sea Fund, who are at the forefront of designing and implementing inclusive and impactful development programmes for up-and-coming talent. We are really excited and looking forward to nurturing these next generation of recipients.”
The Red Sea Fund & Film AlUla will be named as co-producers by the films selected for funding, and Saudi Arabia will be named as a co-production country. Filmmakers will be given free rein on the creative concept and judged purely on the quality of the production, talent and script, whilst basing a portion of the project in AlUla – 15% screen time for Feature Films and 40% for Shorts.
The Red Sea Film Fund has supported over 170 films to date including 8 titles in the official selection for this year’s edition of the Cannes Film Festival including Mother of All Lies (Best Director, Asmae el Moudir), Omen (Best New Voice, Baloji), Hounds (Jury Prize, Kamal Lazraq) and Goodbye Julia (Freedom Prize, Mohamed Kordofani), Inshallah a Boy by Amjad Al Rasheed, Four Daughters by Kaouther Ben Hania, Banel e Adama by Ramata-Toulaye Sy and the opening film of Cannes Jeanne du Barry by Maiwenn.
