Saudi Film Festival Returns to Ithra With Korean Cinema Spotlight

The Saudi Film Festival will take place at Ithra, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Dhahran, from April 23rd to 29th, with this year’s edition featuring a Spotlight on Korean Cinema.
Organised by the Cinema Association in partnership with Ithra and supported by the Saudi Film Commission, the 2026 festival will bring together filmmakers and audiences in the Eastern Province for a week of screenings and industry engagement.

The theme for this year is ‘Cinema of the Journey’, highlighting Arab and international films, both short and feature-length, that centre on movement and transition. The programme includes road movies and travel narratives, as well as works where physical or emotional journeys shape the storyline. The theme invites Saudi filmmakers to explore the idea of journey through their own perspectives, positioning cinema itself as a space where identity, place and time intersect.

Launched in 2008, the Saudi Film Festival has evolved into an annual platform for narrative and documentary competitions, project markets and industry programmes, playing a central role in nurturing Saudi and Gulf cinema.