The Red Sea International Film Festival will not go ahead this year and has been postponed until 2027.
The sixth edition of the festival was due to take place from December 3-12 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but will now take place in Q4 2027.
According to a statement from the Red Sea Film Foundation, the decision follows “a comprehensive review of a range of considerations relating to the timing of the next edition, including the logistical requirements involved in staging an international event of this scale”.
“It reflects the Foundation’s commitment to ensuring the festival takes place at the right time and under the right conditions to deliver the experience for which the Red Sea International Film Festival has become known,” it added.
Organisers said the decision also reflected its commitment “to developing the festival and building on the achievements of previous editions”.
It stated the sixth edition would take place next year with a “renewed vision”, showcasing cinema and filmmakers from Saudi Arabia, the region and around the world.
The Red Sea Fund, Red Sea Labs and its wider programmes and initiatives will continue.
As part of this continued commitment, the Foundation said it would introduce year-round programming at Culture Square in Jeddah from this November, establishing it as “an ongoing destination for film screenings, cultural events and specialised film-industry programmes”.
RSIFF launched in November 2021 as Saudi was starting to open up, just three years after a 35-year ban on cinemas had ended. It became known for hosting a raft of Hollywood and Bollywood stars such as Will Smith, Gwyneth Paltrow, Aamir Khan and Alia Bhatt – all helping project a progressive image of Saudi and its film sector to the world.
Last year featured 111 films in the programme. Oscar-winning filmmakers Sean Baker and Spike Lee presided over the competition juries of its most recent editions, and it also shone the spotlight on emerging and established filmmakers from the region including Haifaa al-Mansour.
Alongside was industry market, the Red Sea Souk, which had grown to become MENA’s leading film market and hosted around 160 exhibitors from more than 45 countries at last year’s edition, with executives from Netflix and Disney+ among those taking part in the programme.
Shivani Pandya Malhotra, who spearheaded the launch of the festival, stepped down in May.
RSIFF was seen to fill the void left by Dubai International Film Festival, which ran for 14 editions before being abruptly shuttered in 2018. Last week, Dubai announced the long-awaited 15th edition would return with a new format in December 2027.
No comments yet