JEDDAH: The Red Sea Souk has unveiled three programs to help aspiring movie-makers during a film festival in Jeddah next month. Talent Days, the Red Sea 360 industry talks, and the Networking Sessions during the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah between Dec. 1 and Dec 10. Taking place Dec. 7-8, Talent Days is a series of meetings, workshops and events aimed at nurturing a new generation of filmmakers. “It is an initiation into the cinema industry for aspiring filmmakers through inspiring talks and individual meetings to help the ideas in their heads take a more tangible form," according to the festivals website. This year, the Talent Days program has been redesigned to focus entirely on a new generation of filmmakers. Those attending will receive insight from industry professionals. Participants will also have access to five dedicated mentors from within the cinema industry. The Red Sea 360 offers four days of talks on production, finance and innovation in the entertainment industry. Participants can join up to 13 sessions on subjects including sales and distribution, co-productions, investment opportunities in the Arab region, incentives and tax rebates, funding, streaming, music, storytelling, episodic content and the Metaverse. More than 50 film industry professionals will share their knowledge and expertise during the program between Dec. 3 and Dec 6. The Networking Sessions will take place across three days from Dec. 3 and Dec. 5 to provide opportunities for new entrants and emerging filmmakers to connect with key industry players during informal 15-minute speed meetings. They will include more than 80 selective industry guests, spread over three sessions focusing on development, production and distribution. Myriam Arab, lead consultant for the Red Sea Souk, said: “We warmly welcome all participants to hear from some of the best industry key players, and to make the most of these mentoring and matchmaking opportunities. “Knowledge-sharing, support and networking are deeply important to talent development. We are delighted to have such fantastic cinema professionals on board sharing their expertise so generously.”