Ghanaian-French coming-of-age drama “Vagabonds,” in rough-cut, by Ghanaian-American writer/director Amartei Armar and produced by Sébastien Hussenot and Yemoh Ike, won the Red Sea Film Festival Souk Production Award with a $100,000 cash prize.
The Red Sea film festival mainly focuses on new storytelling trends, as well as emerging talents from Saudi Arabia, the Arab world and the rest of the global.
The festival looks at establishing a solid foundation for the film industry in Saudi Arabia that may contribute to diversifying the economy of the country.
This year’s edition of the festival is being held between December 1 and 10, 2022, and features the best films from Saudi Arabia, the region and a curated selection of titles from around the world.
A total of $830,000 in cash prizes and $126,000 in-kind prizes were awarded to Saudi, Arab and African projects in the development and work-in-progress stages, during the award ceremony of the festival, Variety.com reported.
Top winners included the Saudi comedy-drama “Scapegoat,” in development, directed by Feras Almusharrie, produced by Razan Alsoghayer and written by Taqwa Ali, which won the $100,000 Red Sea Souk Production Award for a Saudi Lodge Project and also the Cinewaves Films award in the form of a $50,000 minimum guarantee for the acquisition of Arab World distribution rights.
Vagabonds made Ghana and France proud at the event. The short film is a story of two orphaned brothers: 10-year-old Owusu, and 5-year-old Gyasi, who feel trapped in their orphanage. The fear of being separated by adoption provokes Owusu’s desire to protect his brother and their bond at all cost. Owusu is willing to do whatever it takes, even if it means escaping into an unknown future.
The 14-minute short film produced by Yemoh Ike features first-time child actors; Idrissu Tontie as Owusu, Fiifi Asher as Gyasi and Nelly Bilson as Maame. It also features prominent actress, Nana Ama McBrown, in an unassuming supporting role that reveals a side of her never seen before.