Cheta Chukwu’s To Catch a Falling Sky emerged as one of the major winners at this year’s Red Sea Souk Project Market, which took place from December 6–10 alongside the Red Sea International Film Festival.
Selected in the Projects in Development and Production category, the film received two major recognitions: two in-kind awards of Professional Business and Legal Support worth $5,000 (awarded by Freshly Ground Stories) and the $15,000 Red Sea Souk Jury Special Mention Award (awarded by the Red Sea Souk Projects in Development Jury). The awards provide crucial support across various stages of a project’s lifecycle, including development, production, and post-production, with dedicated backing for projects within the Lodge and SeriesLab strands.
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The logline of To Catch a Falling Sky (formerly known as Love is a Deeper Shade of Red before a title change in November) reads:
In 1966 Nigeria, as civil war erupts, a brilliant but childless woman must confront her husband’s devastating choice to bring home a second wife, forcing her to choose between resentment and an unthinkable alliance as their country collapses around them.
Reacting to the win, Chukwu shared a statement on Instagram, “To stand in a room surrounded by filmmakers I deeply admire and hear our project called was surreal. It felt like a quiet confirmation of the journey we’ve been on. Developing this film has been a path of faith, dedication, and community. Watching it rise like this, step by step, piece by piece, feels incredibly affirming.”
To Catch a Falling Sky is being developed as a Nigeria–United Kingdom co-production, with producer Sheila Nortley attached. The project has also been supported by Red Sea Labs, the Red Sea Film Foundation’s year-round development initiative.
Faisal Baltyuor, CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation, highlighted the growth of the market, saying: “The Souk has been a growing force in the global film market with almost double the attendance from 2024, welcoming 166 exhibitors across 90 stands for this year’s edition. We’re proud to highlight the best of the new wave of projects emerging from both debut and established creators, and know that the support our awards provide will be invaluable to the talented filmmakers we’re privileged to be championing.”
Also present at this year’s Red Sea Souk Market were Nigerian projects from CJ Obasi and Tomi Folowosele.
In total, 40 selected projects across various stages of production competed for cash and in-kind awards, provided by the Red Sea Fund and awarded by the Souk Project Market juries, alongside additional support from Red Sea Souk award partners.
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