Cheta Chukwu’s To Catch a Falling Sky Wins Two Major Awards at Red Sea Souk Project Market

Nigerian filmmaker Cheta Chukwu’s feature film project, To Catch a Falling Sky, has won two major awards at the 2025 Red Sea Souk Project Market in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The market ran from December 6 to 10 alongside the Red Sea International Film Festival, bringing together filmmakers, producers, and industry leaders from around the world.

This is another strong milestone for the project, which many may remember under its former title, Love is a Deeper Shade of Red. Earlier this year, in February 2025, the film was selected for the Red Sea Feature Film Lab, where it received early development support. Since then, the project has continued to grow, gaining attention and confidence from the global film community.

At the 2025 Red Sea Souk Project Market, To Catch a Falling Sky was selected in the Projects in Development and Production category. From there, it stood out among dozens of strong entries and received two important recognitions.

The first is the Freshly Ground Stories In-Kind Award, which provides professional business and legal support valued at $5,000. This kind of support is critical for independent films, especially during development and production, where clear legal and business structures help projects move forward smoothly.

The second is the Red Sea Souk Jury Special Mention Award, which comes with a cash prize of $15,000. This award is a strong vote of confidence from the jury and offers practical financial support that can help push the film closer to production.

Together, these awards support the film across development, production, and post-production, with focused backing designed for projects within the Souk’s development strands.

To Catch a Falling Sky is being developed as a Nigeria–United Kingdom co-production. The project has Orwi Manny Ameh and Sheila Nortley attached as producers, bringing together experience and perspectives from both countries. In addition to these new awards, the film has also received ongoing support from Red Sea Labs, the Red Sea Film Foundation’s year-round development programme for filmmakers.

Set in 1966, against the backdrop of Nigeria on the brink of civil war, the story centres on a brilliant but childless woman whose life is shaken when her husband brings home a second wife. As the nation begins to collapse around them, she is forced to confront her pain and anger and make a difficult choice between holding on to resentment or forming an unthinkable alliance. The film explores marriage, power, sacrifice, and survival during one of the most turbulent periods in Nigeria’s history.

Reacting to the recognition, Cheta Chukwu described the moment as deeply emotional and affirming. Being in a room filled with filmmakers he admires and hearing his project announced as a winner felt surreal. For him, the journey of developing To Catch a Falling Sky has been one of faith, dedication, and community. Seeing the project rise steadily, step by step, has served as a quiet but powerful confirmation that the work and belief behind it matter.

The Red Sea Souk Project Market itself continues to grow in influence. Speaking on its expanding impact, Faisal Baltyuor, CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation, highlighted the increase in global participation this year and the market’s strong support for both emerging and established filmmakers. The Souk has become an important space where stories from different parts of the world can find resources, partnerships, and visibility.

This year’s Souk Awards also recognised projects by well-known filmmakers such as Mohamed Kordofani, director of Goodbye Julia, and Maha Haj, known for Personal Affairs. Nigerian filmmakers were well represented too, with projects by CJ Obasi and Tomi Folowosele participating in the market. In total, 40 selected projects at different stages of production competed for cash and in-kind awards.

For To Catch a Falling Sky, these wins mark another meaningful step forward. They reflect not only the strength of the story but also the growing presence of Nigerian and African stories on global film platforms. As development continues, the project stands as a reminder that patient work, strong collaboration, and belief in one’s story can open doors on the world stage.