Red Sea Film Festival postpones 2026 event

The 2026 Red Sea Film Festival, which was set to take place in Jeddah on Dec. 3-12, has been postponed.

Instead, the event will shift to the fourth quarter of October–December 2027.

The decision comes amid current military tensions, but the festival did not directly attribute the postponement to them.

Instead, the Red Sea International Film Festival Foundation statement read that “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 added, "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."

“As part of this continued commitment, the Foundation will introduce year-round programming at Culture Square in Historic Jeddah beginning in November 2026, establishing it as an ongoing destination for film screenings, cultural events and specialised film-industry programmes."

Therefore, the organisers behind the Red Sea Film Festival have stressed that the festival will return in 2027 with a “renewed vision and a programme that continues to celebrate cinema and filmmakers from Saudi Arabia, the region and around the world.”