‘Robbing Beirut’ Takes Top Prize at Red Sea Film Festival Awards

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As a passionate cinephile with a keen interest in the emerging voices of global cinema, I am thrilled by the success of Katia Jarjoura’s “Robbing Beirut” at the Red Sea Film Festival. Her story of resilience and determination in the face of economic adversity resonates deeply, not just for its gripping narrative, but also for its reflection of real-life struggles faced by many.

The Lebanese film director Katia Jarjoura has won the highest Red Sea Souk Production Award for the movie “Robbing Beirut”, a gripping heist thriller. This victory brings with it a $75,000 grant as part of the awards ceremony held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The story focuses around a Beirut-based event organizer who resorts to burglarizing her own bank to recover funds for her sister’s urgent medical treatment, as her savings were locked away by the financial system due to the country’s economic downturn. However, the burglary doesn’t unfold quite as planned.

This year’s major film contest for the 4th installment of the Red Sea Film Festival is yet to announce its winners, as the jury, headed by Spike Lee, is still in deliberations. The festival will feature 16 films competing in the main competition category of this edition, which runs from December 5-14. Among these are Reema Kagti’s “Superboys of Malegaon” and Kurdwin Ayub’s “Moon”.

In addition to the awards given out on Wednesday, the Red Sea Labs Production Award worth $70,000 was presented to Mahamed Al’Omda’s project, “Blue Card”. Similarly, a $50,000 grant in the same category was awarded to Lydia Matata for her work, “Pepo Kali”, and another $40,000 grant went to “The Silent Ones”, directed by Jawahine Zentar.

In the ongoing projects competition, the Red Sea Souk jury awarded a $30,000 prize to Makbul Mubarak’s entry titled “Watch It Burn“.

The award ceremony held on Wednesday took place after the introduction of the Red Sea Festival, which showcased 38 upcoming feature film projects and, for the initial time, TV series projects as part of this year’s Red Sea Souk Project Market. These projects were either still in production or under development.

Projects originating from directors across the Arab world, Africa, and Asia were born out of the yearly development program at the Red Sea Labs, a venture that takes place within The Lodge. This collaboration between TorinoFilmLab and Film Alula enables this program to run smoothly.

Shivani Pandya Malhotra, head of the Red Sea Film Foundation, expressed in a statement regarding the awards ceremony: “The winners of this year’s Red Sea Souk demonstrate the extraordinary talent and creativity arising from Saudi Arabia, the Arab world, Africa, and Asia. These regions possess immense narrative power, and with initiatives such as the Souk, we take pride in backing these voices, providing them with a stage to thrive.

Holly Daniel, head of the Red Sea Market (also known as the Red Sea Souk), noted: “This year’s edition of the Souk Project market saw a record-breaking number of project meeting requests, demonstrating the exceptional quality and promise shown by the participating teams. We extend our gratitude to all our award partners for their unwavering support of the Souk and the remarkable projects they help bring to life.

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2024-12-11 22:24