Red Sea Film Festival Shelved Until 2027 as Saudi Arabia Cites Logistics

The Red Sea Film Foundation has pushed back the sixth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival, which had been set for December in Jeddah, to the fourth quarter of 2027.

The foundation announced the decision on Monday, pointing to the timing and the logistical demands of mounting an international event of the festival's scale. It did not attribute the delay to the security situation in the region.

The postponement lands as Saudi Arabia contends with heightened regional tensions, including missile and drone attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The continuing hostilities have also stoked concern over safety along the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital international shipping corridor off Yemen's coast.

Widely regarded as one of the kingdom's flagship international cultural gatherings, the festival has drawn filmmakers, actors and other industry figures from across the world to Jeddah.

Its year-round initiatives, among them the Red Sea Fund and Red Sea Labs, will carry on as planned. The foundation also said it intends to begin programming at Culture Square in Historic Jeddah, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in November.

The festival forms part of Saudi Arabia's wider effort to grow its entertainment and cultural sectors, with heavy investment in film, gaming and sports under its economic transformation plans.