As the curtains draw today on the fourth edition of the Red Sea Souk — the industry sidebar of the Red Sea International Film Festival (December 5th to the 14th) — the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) and its esteemed partners have announced the winners of their cash and in-kind awards, highlighting their long-standing commitment to supporting Arab filmmakers and their innovative projects at the world’s leading film markets.
This year, the ACC and its partners selected films from a roster of 24 projects in development or production along with eight projects in post-production, featuring both emerging and established Arab, African, and Asian directors.
The ACC presented two in-kind awards to participate in the 2025 Rotterdam Lab: one awarded to a Saudi film project and the other to an Arab film project; the first is Fatima Al-Banawi’s Saudi coming-of-age drama “Do Re Mimi,” with the award going to Saudi producer Jawaher Alamri, who is also a writer, director, and producer known for several acclaimed titles, including “The Last Dismissal,” which won two prizes at the Hollywood Short Fest, including Best Director, and was featured in the Short Film Corner of the 77th Cannes International Film Festival.
“Do Re Mimi” follows the story of Ms. Lamia, a secretive Quran teacher who helps bullied 10-year-old Mariam discover her voice, only to unveil an underlying musical genius. As Mariam’s dreams take flight, Ms. Lamia must confront haunting promises that could change everything.
The other in-kind award, dedicated to an Arab film project, went to the Lebanese-French documentary “It’s Okay I’m Only Human,” presented to producer Christelle Younes, who served as production supervisor on the first Netflix Original in the MENA region JINN. In 2021, she produced her debut feature film — “Death of a Virgin, and the Sin of Not Living” — which premiered at the Berlinale’s Panorama section, marking a significant step in her independent producing career.
Documenting the preparation of a theatrical production featuring intellectually and physically disabled individuals, “It’s Okay I’m Only Human” unfolds within a community center, chronicling their journey of self-acceptance and the universal quest for genuine connections.
In a similar vein, MAD presented an in-kind distribution award valued at $50,000 for the worldwide distribution rights to “Do Re Mimi.” The film’s director, Al Banawi, is on Time Magazine’s Next Generation Leaders List. She is known for her role in “Barakah Meets Barakah” and recently starred in the Netflix Original “Basma.”