Before cinema was legal in the KSA, The Saudi Film Festival (SFF) was launched in 2008 by the Saudi Arts and Cultural Society — a small cultural center in Dammam. The SFF’s main milestone was in 2019 when it switched venues to the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra). The fast-developing event has become the country’s first national festival and a must-attend festival across the GCC, enabling filmmakers within Saudi Arabia to participate in the more significant global pivot toward visual storytelling.
The 10th edition of the SFF ran from May 2nd to the 9th with a special emphasis on science fiction films and Indian cinema, featuring independent Indian films from beyond Bollywood.
