Kenyan director-writer Vincho Nchogu and Nigerian producer Josh Olaoluwa’s movie, Fantastic Tale, has been selected as one of the projects to undergo development at the Red Sea Lab 2023.
The movie is one of the two African projects to be selected by the accelerator. The selection was announced by The Lodge alongside 11 other projects. The other African project, Black Snake, written and directed by Naishe Nyambaya and produced by Sue-Ellen Chitunya.
The Lodge is a 10-month mentorship program that has now opened up to African works along with Saudi and Arab projects. The 4th edition of the Red Sea Lab is in partnership with Torino Film Lab, sponsored by Film AlUla film commission which is set to take place in Saudi Arabia and Italy in 2023.
Other projects selected include “How To Not Get Married In Saudi Arabia” by Writer/Director Ghadeer Binabbas and Producer Emmanuel Mayer; “Sukun” by Writer/Director Lina Mahmoud and Producer Abdulghani Alsaigh; “Mecca Berlin” by Writer/Director Mujtaba Saeed, Producer Nadia Eliewat and Co-Writer Ghiath Mhithawi; “By Hasnaa’s Side” by Writer/Director Amaal Yousef and Producer Ghaidaa Abuazzah.
Others include “Lost Soul” by Writer/Director Sarah Mohammed Almuneef and Producer Séverine Tibi; “An Endless Night” by Writer/Director Mohamed Kassaby and Producer Mohamed Kateb; “To Each Their Own” by Writer/Director Samer Battikhi and Producer Fatma Racha Shehadeh; “Temporary Lives” by Writer/Director Wessam Hachicho and Producer Amélie Quéret; “The Sun Has Seen Everything” by Writer/Director Wissam Tanios and Producer Christian Eid, and “My Father Killed Bourguiba” by Writer/Director Fatma Riahi, Producer Erige Seheri and Co-Writer Louai Haffar.
Ryan Ashore, the Head of The Red Sea Labs, noted that the accelerator is primed towards providing funds for promising film projects globally. “The Red Sea Labs are growing into a wide-ranged platform with multiple programmes including the Lodge so that we can build an echo system, in which we develop the filmmakers so they can apply to the Fund and find their opportunities in the Souk.”
Shivani Pandya Malhotra, Managing Director of the Red Sea International Festival noted: “The Lodge, in partnership with TorinoFilmLab, provides vital support to the next generation of film talent coming out of the region.”
The filmmakers behind the selected projects would be opportuned to meet and work with industry professionals and film experts from all over the world as part of a creative development program organized by the Lab. The workshops include in-person training in Saudi Arabia and Torino, Italy at the Torino Film Lab. The winning teams would also be entitled to a winning grant of $ 200,000, which would be awarded during the Red Sea Film Festival, scheduled to be held in December 2023.