Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) has agreed a three-year partnership with the organisers of France’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
The partnership aims to support talent development, build the Saudi animation industry and expand cultural exchange between the Kingdom, France and the international animation ecosystem.
It also opens up opportunities for Saudi animators to participate in Marché International du Film d’Animation (MIFA), the industry market held alongside the Annecy festival.
An MoU for the partnership was signed in Jeddah earlier this month by RSIFF CEO Faisal Baltyuor and Mickaël Marin, CEO of Cité de l’Image en Mouvement et des Industries Créatives (CITIA), the organisers of Annecy.
The partnership will also see an annual ‘Best of Annecy’ animation festival held at RSIFF’s Jeddah hub Culture Square, with open-air screenings, children’s workshops and family-friendly programming.
From 2026, an animation-focused industry panel will form part of the Red Sea Souk, and a collaboration between Red Sea Labs and CITIA’s professional development ecosystem will establish workshops, masterclasses, mentorship programs, and student and emerging-talent exchange programmes.
The two festivals will also explore opportunities for talent development, co-production opportunities and international market access, while an RSIFF delegation will attend the next edition of Annecy, in partnership with the Saudi Film Commission.
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