Red Sea Film Festival Cancels 2026 Edition, Vows to Return Next Year With “Renewed Vision”

The sixth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival has been postponed, the event’s Foundation has confirmed.

A note released to press on Monday explains that this year’s installment, originally set for Dec. 3-12 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has been pushed back to the fourth quarter of 2027.

It comes as the entire region deals with ongoing military tension amid the U.S.-Israeli-Iran war, with the threat of missile and drone strikes active and Saudi Arabia dealing with targeted attacks from the Iran-backed Houthis.

The decision follows “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,” said the statement.

“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,” it continued. “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.”

Organizers have vowed 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.”

The Red Sea Film Festival has gone from strength to strength in recent years and funnelled much of its investment into attracting Hollywood A-listers to Jeddah, as well as its Red Sea Fund, Red Sea Labs and wider initiatives, which will continue to operate within the Foundation’s “year-round ecosystem.” Among the attendees last year were Michael Caine, Johnny Depp, Sean Baker, Juliette Binoche, Adrien Brody, Kirsten Dunst, Jessica Alba and Queen Latifah.