As the Souk continues to expand its influence within the global film ecosystem, this year’s edition served as a clear testament to the rising artistic and industrial power of African storytellers.
By Joseph Jonathan
African cinema delivered one of its strongest showings yet at the 2025 Red Sea Souk, the industry market of the Red Sea International Film Festival, where filmmakers from Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan and Nigeria emerged among the night’s biggest winners. As the Souk continues to expand its influence within the global film ecosystem, this year’s edition served as a clear testament to the rising artistic and industrial power of African storytellers.
Held from December 6–10 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Souk brings together projects at various stages of development and production, offering financial support, in-kind services, and international industry access. With over 40 selected projects competing for prizes this year, African filmmakers distinguished themselves with works that balance bold cinematic vision with urgent sociopolitical insight.
Kenya’s Money Town — an eight-episode comedy by writer-director, Tony Koros, and producer, Toni Kamau — stood out in the Series Awards category. Developed through the Red Sea Labs’ SeriesLab programme and refined through workshops in Los Angeles, the series explores the upheaval that follows when a tech billionaire floods a rural Kenyan village with free cash. Its satirical edge and cultural specificity resonated with the SeriesLab jury, earning it one of the $10,000 Red Sea Souk Series Awards, signalling its promise as one of East Africa’s most anticipated upcoming shows.
Sudan enjoyed a particularly commanding presence at this year’s Souk. Acclaimed director, Mohamed Kordofani, whose debut, Goodbye Julia, broke new ground with its Cannes Un Certain Regard premiere, returned with About Love and September Laws — a historical drama set during Sudan’s turbulent 1983 shift into Sharia law. The project won three awards, including a $25,000 Development Award, a $50,000 Leyth Production in-kind Editing Award, and a $12,000 Shift Studios promotion package. Kordofani’s continued ascent signals a new era of Sudanese cinema, building on the global momentum sparked by Goodbye Julia.
Rwanda’s Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo also earned major recognition for Ben’imana, a decade-long passion project centred on a genocide survivor whose carefully rebuilt life unravels when her daughter becomes unexpectedly pregnant. The film’s emotional scale and refined direction impressed both jurors and partners, earning $40,000 in Post-Production support and a $32,500 Filmmore in-kind Award. The dual wins reaffirm Dusabejambo’s position as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary Rwandan cinema.
Nigeria likewise celebrated an important win with Cheta Chukwu’s To Catch a Falling Sky. Previously titled Love Is a Deeper Shade of Red, the project secured a $15,000 Jury Special Mention Award and a $5,000 in-kind business and legal support package. Set at the dawn of the Nigerian Civil War in 1966, the film follows a childless woman navigating personal betrayal and national upheaval. The project is being developed as a Nigeria–United Kingdom co-production under the Red Sea Labs banner, strengthening Nigeria’s presence within transnational development pipelines.
Together, these wins highlight a continental creative landscape that is not only robust but also increasingly interconnected. The 2025 Red Sea Souk demonstrated that African filmmakers are approaching the festival circuit with greater strategic understanding, deeper international partnerships, and a renewed confidence in telling stories rooted in their own histories, identities, and lived realities.
FULL LIST OF 2025 RED SEA SOUK AWARD WINNERS
WORKS IN PROGRESS AWARDS
- Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep — $15,000 Jury Special Mention Award
- Ben’imana (Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo) — $40,000 Post-Production Award
SERIES AWARDS
- Money Town (Tony Koros) — $10,000
- Side Effects (Hind Metwalli) — $10,000
PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT AWARDS
- To Catch a Falling Sky (Cheta Chukwu) — $15,000 Jury Special Mention Award
- Cold Ashes Can Cause Forest Fires (Ashmita Guha Neosi) — $20,000 Breakthrough Award
- Price of Evil (Ibrahim Mursal) — $25,000 Development Award
- About Love and September Laws (Mohamed Kordofani) — $25,000 Development Award
- Fiction (Anocha Suwichakornpong) — $50,000 Production Award
- Playhouse (Maha Haj) — $80,000 Production Award
PARTNER AWARDS
Arab Cinema Centre
- Dhel — Producer selected for IFFR Producers Lab
Arab Radio and Television Network (ART)
- A Noble Departure — $50,000
- Dhel — $50,000
- Playhouse — $50,000
Blue Bee Productions
- Positive — $10,000
CNC Award
- The Daughter — €10,000
DTS Award
- Dhel — $30,000 sound post-production
Filmmore Award
- Ben’imana — $32,500 digital intermediate
Freshly Ground Stories & Fineprint
- To Catch a Falling Sky — $5,000 in-kind
- Philax — $5,000 in-kind
Habbar Award
- Green Corpse — $10,000 + $40,000 marketing
Ithra Award
- Green Corpse — 50,000 SAR ($13,333)
Leyth Production Award
- About Love and September Laws — $50,000 editing
Easy Distribution Award
- The Prodigal Son — $10,000 equivalent
MAD Solutions Award
- Infidels — $50,000 MG
Oticons Award
- Ria — $10,000 music consulting
Shift Studios Awards
- A Noble Departure — $12,000 promotion package
- About Love and September Laws — $12,000 promotion package
- Positive — $8,000 DCP package