Saudi Film Festival Opens Competition for Filmmakers in Its 13th Edition

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The Saudi Film Festival has begun receiving works from filmmakers wishing to compete in its thirteenth edition, announcing the opening of registration for feature, short, and documentary films, in preparation for selecting the participating works in its upcoming competitions.

The festival revealed via its Instagram account that it has started accepting submissions electronically under the title "Register Your Film," inviting filmmakers to submit their works through the festival's website.

The thirteenth edition is organized by the Cinema Association, in partnership with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture "Ithra," continuing the festival's journey in supporting film production and providing a competitive space for films and their creators.

The new announcement opens the door for a new edition of the festival, which saw a wide turnout in its twelfth edition, receiving 314 submissions, including 249 films and 65 projects for the production market.

Out of the total submitted works, 27 films reached the three official competitions, while 6 films participated in the parallel screenings, and the number of films showcased by the festival during this edition was 50 films from more than 15 countries.

The competition list was divided into 6 feature films, 13 short films, and 8 documentaries, competing for 9 golden dates.

The competition in the last edition was not limited to Saudi films, as Gulf filmmakers also made their presence felt in the three competitions. In the feature film competition, there were two Emirati and Qatari films out of 6 films, while the short film competition included works from Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE, in addition to a Kuwaiti film in the documentary competition.

The twelfth edition was held at "Ithra" in Dhahran from June 26 to July 2, 2026, and concluded with the awarding of winners in the official competitions, along with the unveiling of some features of the next edition.

The festival also honored Saudi director Haifaa al-Mansour as the distinguished personality of the edition, in recognition of her career and contribution to enhancing the presence of Saudi cinema locally and internationally, starting from her early work with the short film "Who?", through the film "Wadjda", to her international cinematic experiences.