The Red Sea Fund, launched by the Red Sea Film Foundation in 2021, has quickly become one of the most influential funding bodies supporting cinema across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Through a range of development, production, and post-production grants, the fund backs both emerging and established filmmakers, with a focus on bold, culturally specific storytelling.
New Milestone: Since its inception, the fund has supported over 330 projects, with an annual budget of approximately $15m dedicated to filmmakers across the Arab World, Africa, and Asia. Voices of Tomorrow: Launched in late 2025, this initiative focuses on young Saudi talent (ages 10–16), providing a platform to showcase short films during the festival. Horror & Thriller Focus: A specialized funding cycle was introduced for 2026, specifically targeting genre cinema (horror, thriller, and fantasy) in the post-production phase. Academy Award Submissions: Seven films supported by the fund were selected as official entries for the Academy Awards, including HIJRA (Saudi Arabia) and A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD (Lebanon). Recent Selections: The March 2026 Red Sea Labs cohort selected 12 new feature projects for intensive development, including three from Saudi Arabia and nine international titles.
New Milestone: Since its inception, the fund has supported over 330 projects, with an annual budget of approximately $15m dedicated to filmmakers across the Arab World, Africa, and Asia.
Voices of Tomorrow: Launched in late 2025, this initiative focuses on young Saudi talent (ages 10–16), providing a platform to showcase short films during the festival.
Horror & Thriller Focus: A specialized funding cycle was introduced for 2026, specifically targeting genre cinema (horror, thriller, and fantasy) in the post-production phase.
Academy Award Submissions: Seven films supported by the fund were selected as official entries for the Academy Awards, including HIJRA (Saudi Arabia) and A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD (Lebanon).
Recent Selections: The March 2026 Red Sea Labs cohort selected 12 new feature projects for intensive development, including three from Saudi Arabia and nine international titles.
