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Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival will skip 2026 after organisers postponed its sixth edition to the fourth quarter of 2027, citing considerations around timing and the logistics of staging the international event.
The Red Sea International Film Festival has postponed its sixth edition, cancelling its planned December 2026 event in Jeddah and moving the festival to the fourth quarter of 2027.
The Red Sea Film Foundation announced the decision on 21 September 2026, less than three months before the festival was due to take place from 3 to 12 December in Historic Jeddah.
Organisers have not announced exact dates for the rescheduled 2027 edition.
The postponement is particularly significant for filmmakers and industry professionals because preparations for the 2026 festival were already well advanced. Film submissions had closed, while accreditation applications had also been processed ahead of the December event.
Why Has the 2026 Red Sea Film Festival Been Postponed?
The Red Sea Film Foundation said the decision followed a comprehensive review of considerations surrounding the timing of the next edition, including the logistical requirements involved in staging an international festival of its scale.
The Foundation has not publicly attributed the postponement to regional conflict or identified another specific cause beyond those considerations.
That distinction is important. The announcement arrives amid continuing regional tensions, and some media reports have connected the timing of the decision with the wider security situation. However, the Foundation itself has not stated that conflict was the reason for postponing the festival.
Instead, organisers said the sixth edition would return in 2027 with a renewed vision and continue to showcase filmmakers from Saudi Arabia, the wider region and internationally.
What Happens to Film Submissions and Accreditation?
The 2026 submission period had already concluded before the postponement.
Submissions for the sixth edition opened on 26 April 2026, with the final deadline on 2 August. The festival accepted both feature and short films, including work from Arab, Asian and African filmmakers residing around the world.
The festival’s accreditation process had also closed.
The postponement therefore affects filmmakers whose projects were already submitted for consideration as well as accredited guests and industry professionals who had planned to travel to Jeddah in December.
Filmmakers and attendees affected by the change should follow the festival’s official channels for instructions relating to their submissions, accreditation and any applicable refunds.
Red Sea Fund and Labs Will Continue
Although the flagship festival will not take place in 2026, the Red Sea Film Foundation says its year-round filmmaker programmes will continue.
These include the Red Sea Fund, which provides support for film projects, and Red Sea Labs, the Foundation’s development and training programme.
Beginning in November 2026, the Foundation also plans to introduce year-round programming at Culture Square in Historic Jeddah.
The venue is expected to host film screenings, cultural events and specialised film-industry programmes, with a detailed schedule to be announced separately.
A Significant Gap in the Arab Film Festival Calendar
Since launching its first edition in 2021, the Red Sea International Film Festival has developed into an important meeting point for filmmakers, producers, distributors, financiers and international film-industry executives working across the Arab world and beyond.
Its accompanying Red Sea Souk has become particularly important for projects seeking co-production, financing and industry connections.
Skipping the 2026 edition therefore leaves a notable gap in the region’s festival and film-market calendar.
For filmmakers who submitted work to the sixth edition, the immediate priority is to monitor official communication from the Red Sea Film Foundation about how existing submissions will be handled following the move to 2027.
The Foundation has so far confirmed only that the festival will return during the fourth quarter of 2027, with exact dates and further details still to come.
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