The 12th Saudi Film Festival will take place from April 23 to 29, 2026, at the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran, with a programme built around the theme “Cinema of the Journey” and a special focus on Korean cinema.
Organised by the Cinema Association in partnership with Ithra and supported by the Saudi Film Commission, the festival has operated since 2008 as a platform for Saudi and Gulf filmmakers. In recent years, it has expanded its international engagement through curated country spotlights.
Festival founder and director Ahmed Al-Mulla said, “Our doors are open to all creators, and filmmakers remain at the heart of everything we do.”
The 2026 theme, “Cinema of the Journey,” centres on transformation through movement — physical or emotional. The line-up will include Arab and international short and feature-length films in which journeys drive narrative change, from road films to stories of migration and self-discovery.
The theme also reflects broader shifts within Saudi Arabia’s cultural landscape. Since cinemas reopened in 2018 after a decades-long ban, the Kingdom’s film sector has grown rapidly, supported by state-backed initiatives and training programmes. The festival positions cinema as a site where questions of identity, place and transition can be explored onscreen.
This year’s spotlight on Korean cinema follows a 2025 focus on Japanese film. The choice aligns with a February 2025 memorandum of understanding between the Saudi Film Commission and the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), aimed at strengthening cooperation in training, knowledge exchange and industry development. The Korean focus is expected to include screenings and professional exchange events, though the final programme has yet to be announced.
Ithra, the festival’s long-standing venue, remains central to its identity. The cultural complex in Dhahran provides purpose-built cinema facilities and has hosted multiple editions of the event.
“At Ithra, we’re proud of our longstanding partnership with the Cinema Association,” said Festival deputy director Tariq Al-Khawaji adding organisers are working to “pay attention to every detail” as participation and international visibility increase.
Beyond screenings, the festival will feature workshops, masterclasses, panel discussions, a production market and a project competition. These industry-facing components aim to support emerging filmmakers and strengthen the local production pipeline.
The event unfolds against a backdrop of expanding cinema attendance in Saudi Arabia. According to the Saudi Film Commission’s Saudi Box Office Performance – 2024 report, the Kingdom had 64 theatres and 630 screens last year, with 17.5 million tickets sold and SAR 845.6 million in total revenue. The figures underscore the scale of audience growth since cinemas reopened.
For Saudi filmmakers, the festival remains one of the country’s most consistent platforms — a space not only to premiere work but to build networks and test projects. While a single edition does not define an industry, sustained annual programming has become a key feature of Saudi Arabia’s developing film ecosystem.
