Nigerian Filmmakers are Making Their Mark at the 2025 Red Sea Souk Project Market

Nigerian filmmakers are making waves at the 2025 Red Sea Souk Project Market. The 2025 Red Sea Souk Project Market in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is proving to be a significant international platform for Nigerian filmmakers and it suggests the country’s growing presence on the global cinema stage. Running from December 6-10, the market, a key component of the Red Sea International Film Festival, has selected 40 diverse projects, with Nigerian titles making a notable appearance across various categories.

These Nigerian filmmakers and titles include Judith Audu, Temidayo Makanjuola, Ishaya Bako, Adeniyi J. Omobulejo, and Stephanie Dadet five new TV projects. Their film projects were developed under the ACTV Story Development & Showrunner Residency, a program designed to provide professional training, creative development, and industry-standard guidance for emerging and established storytellers. 

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Nigerian projects are also at the forefront, showcasing a mix of established and emerging talent: C.J. “Fiery” Obasi‘s La Pyramide, his multi-continental co-production (Nigeria-UK-US-Senegal-Brazil) and thriller has progressed to the works-in-progress section. Obasi, known for his Sundance-winning Mami Wata, is strategically using the Souk market to attract finishing funds and distribution. 

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The film’s early shooting in Brazil demonstrates an artist-led approach to independent financing. Its presence highlights the market’s role as a development bridge for moving projects from concept to near-completion.

Cheta Chukwu’s To Catch a Falling Sky is a Nigerian-UK co-production featured in the Projects-in-Development strand. Chukwu, who was also selected for the Red Sea Lodge 2025 for another project (Love Is a Deeper Shade of Red), is bridging creative collaborations between Nigeria and the UK, focusing on complex, universally relatable themes.

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Tomi Folowosele and Orire Nwani’s Till Death Do Us Part was developed through the Red Sea Series Lab. The series is projected to be a supernatural psychological thriller rooted in Nigerian culture and mythology. As part of the SeriesLab, writer Folowosele and producer Nwani are evolving the project into a globally pitch-ready TV series, benefiting from intensive, tailored mentorship and networking with U.S. and international industry professionals.

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The Red Sea Souk Project Market is a platform for global filmmakers to showcase their work-in-progress projects to industry professionals, producers, and potential investors. The Souk Project Market acts as a critical nexus for African cinema, with nearly 40% of its lineup coming from Africa or Africa-linked projects. This collective Nigerian presence nurtures international recognition for the Nigerian film landscape, potentially attracting significant long-term investment and establishing Jeddah as one of key hubs Nigerian filmmakers can attract co-production and financing. 

The presence of these Nigerian filmmakers and by extension Nollywood underscores a strategic shift towards international co-productions, moving beyond the reliance on domestic funding and streaming platforms. Projects like La Pyramide and To Catch a Falling Sky involve multiple countries, which is vital for securing diverse funding and accessing the Red Sea Fund, which is one of the most active institutional supporters of African cinema, alongside European and Qatari funds.

Nigerian filmmakers are slowly opening up themselves and by extension the industry to international collaborations and interests beyond the ones now-sanctily offered by streaming platforms. For these filmmakers, it’s a networking space to meet potential life-long international producers, funders and distributors. Through the mentorship program which Nwani and Folowosle were part of, there are opportunities for mentorship and guidance from experienced industry professionals, directors, producers, writers and distributors. It’s a rare chance at being mentored and being exposed to a broader global audience that potentially increases these filmmakers visibility and credibility. 

For the Nigerian film ecosystem, these minute but significant appearances at these international markets nurture international recognition for the Nigerian film landscape thus attracting international attention and investment. Also, in an industry where filmmakers are self taught, these labs and pitching opportunities invariably lead to talent development which leads to, again, minute but significant growth. 

Nigerian filmmakers are gradually answering the clarion call of development labs, international markets and festivals. In years to come, it will be interesting to track how impactful these growing interest in international film festivals and labs portend for the Nigerian film industry.