Red Sea Fund reveals 30 grant winners, including Cannes and Toronto titles

The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation has unveiled the 30 recipients of the Red Sea Fund’s 2026 production and post-production funding cycles.

All titles are from Arab and African filmmakers, who will receive grants to help them complete films that shine a light on narratives and support new talents emerging from the region through mentoring, finance and resources.

Cycle 1, which is dedicated to post-production, features 13 projects from a record 220 submissions, six of which have already premiered internationally.

These include this year’s Caméra d’Or winner at Cannes, Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo’s Ben’imana, along with another Un Certain Regard selection, Laïla Marrakchi’s Strawberries.

Also receiving funding are two Toronto titles: Platform award winner Angh, from Theja Rio, and Kamila Andini’s Four Seasons In Java.

Al Baraneya by Ashgan El-Hamus screened in Venice, while Lê Bảo’s Hearing competed at the Locarno Film Festival.

The 17 selections for Cycle 2, which is dedicated to films in production, were picked from 696 submissions. They include five Saudi projects: Remind Me to Forget by Lama Jamjoom, Green Corpse by Khaled Zidan, Maria’s Mansion by Raed Alsemari, Bait Bahar by Yaser Hammad and Microwave by Mishary Almazyaad.

“These two cycles reflect exactly what the Red Sea Fund is here to do: identify bold, distinctive projects and support filmmakers at critical stages of their journey,” said Red Sea Fim Foundation CEO Faisal Baltyuor.

“The international momentum already building around several Cycle 1 titles is a strong testament to the calibre of the work, and we are excited to see the Cycle 2 projects continue that journey.”

Red Sea funded films

Cycle 1: Post-Production (13 projects)

Hearing (Viet-Sing-Fr-Nor-Indo-Tai-Chi)
Dir. Lê Bảo

Who Stole My Cross? (South Korea-Germany)
Dir. Park Syeyoung

Al Baraneya (Egypt)
Dir. Ashgan El-Hamus

Ben’imana (Rwanda)
Dir. Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo

Angh (India)
Dir. Theja Rio

Bells of Kabul (Fr-Ger-Bel)
Dir. Chabname Zariab

Four Seasons in Java (Indonesia)
Dir. Kamila Andini

Grey Glow (Leb-Fr-Qat)
Dir. Michèle Tyan

Selvi (India)
Dir. Sailesh Rathnakumar

Guardian of the Island (Ethiopia)
Dir. Sewmehon Yismaw Sendekie

On the Donkey Route (Pal-Can)
Dir. Ahmad Al-Bazz

Tomorrow Will Be Rain… (Syr-Tur-UK)
Dir. Cemal Alomar

Strawberries (Mor-Sp-Fr-Bel)
Dir. Laïla Marrakchi

Cycle 2: Production (17 projects)

Remind Me to Forget (Saudi Arabia)
Dir. Lama Jamjoom

Daughters of the Sea (Philippines)
Dir. Martika Escobar

The Northern Bald Ibis (Ger-Leb-Lux)
Dir. Ameer Fakher Eldin

Hum (Philippines)
Dir. Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan

Pieces (South Africa)
Dir. Imran Hamdulay

Gaza Forever (Paul-Jor-Fr)
Dir. Tarzan Nasser, Arab Nasser

Lotus Feet (Malaysia)
Dir. Amanda Eu

The Side Effects of Trusting Life (Leb-Ger-Nor)
Dir. Ahmad Ghossein

Green Corpse (Saudi Arabia)
Dir. Khaled Zidan

The Scapegoat (Turkey)
Dir. Yılmaz Özdil

Leg (Kazakhstan-Italy)
Dir. Shokir Kholikov

The Last Oasis (China)
Dir. Zhengyu Shao

Maria’s Mansion (Saudi Arabia)
Dir. Raed Alsemari

Let Us Fight (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Dir. Eli Maene

Tarfaya (Morocco)
Dir. Sofia Alaoui, Annabella Nezri

Bait Bahar (Saudi Arabia)
Dir. Yaser Hammad

Microwave (Saudi Arabia)
Dir. Mishary Almazyaad