Since 2008, the Saudi Film Festival has been shining a light on the cinema industry in Saudi Arabia.
Long before going to the cinema was legally acceptable in the Kingdom, Ahmed Al-Mulla, often hailed as the “godfather of Saudi cinema”, was finding ways to bring attention to this industry and the talented filmmakers in the region. He has been a pivotal figure in the Kingdom’s cinematic evolution. As the founder and director of the Saudi Film Festival, Al-Mulla has championed the growth of local filmmaking, providing a platform for Saudi storytellers to showcase their narratives. Under his stewardship, the festival has transformed from modest beginnings into a significant cultural event, reflecting the nation’s burgeoning interest in cinema.
The latest edition, which took place this April, was the largest and most interactive yet. Here we talk to Ahmed Al-Mulla, who delves into the latest edition, highlighting its role in nurturing homegrown talent and fostering a vibrant film culture, as well as sharing insights into the broader trajectory of Saudi Arabia’s film industry.
Tell us about the Saudi Film Festival and some of its highlights this year.
Now in its 11th edition, the Saudi Film Festival continues to build on its legacy while introducing fresh and dynamic elements each year. The festival has always centred on its competitive programs, with awards for feature films, short narratives, and documentaries judged by respected committees. But this year marks a new level of scale and ambition.
One of the standout developments is the inclusion of more than 12 world premieres, bringing fresh regional and global voices into the spotlight. The Production Market was also significantly expanded, an initiative that offers tangible opportunities for filmmakers to secure support for their projects. This year, 22 projects were selected to pitch in front of a jury. What makes this unique is that participating production companies commit to supporting at least one project, ensuring that backing offered to filmmakers goes beyond the festival itself.
A spotlight on Japanese cinema added a rich cross-cultural layer to the program this year, with curated screenings and sessions offering a window into another cinematic language. Meanwhile, the central theme of this edition, Cinema of Identity, sparked deep, philosophical discussions about how filmmakers express identity, belonging, and perspective through their work.
Since the festival’s inception in 2008, we have also placed a strong focus on knowledge-building. This year, we reached a major milestone: over 75 titles have been published under the Saudi Cinema Encyclopedia, including translations, authored works, and studies on cinematic poetics. This publishing initiative, led by the Saudi Cinema Association, remains unmatched in the Arab world.
Hosting the festival at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture—Ithra—elevates these elements even further. Ithra is not just a venue, but an active cultural partner that has helped shape the festival’s growth and relevance from early on. As a destination for creatives, Ithra provides filmmakers access to enriching facilities, resources, and mentorship programs that elevate their craft and amplify their voices. It creates an environment where artistic exchange, cultural dialogue, and innovation thrive, making it the ideal home for a festival that reflects the spirit of Saudi Arabia’s creative renaissance.
How do you feel the festival is helping to raise awareness of Arab talent and the growing industry in the region?
Since its inception, the festival has gone through several phases, much like Saudi society itself. In the early years, particularly from 2008 through its sixth edition, it was the only platform truly dedicated to Saudi cinema. There were no institutions supporting the film scene, no venues for screenings, and few spaces where filmmakers could gather.
This began to change around 2018, with the start of Saudi Arabia’s cultural and urban renaissance. Cinema became part of the national vision, with support from the Ministry of Culture and the Film Commission. This shift allowed the festival to grow from a lone initiative into a key player in a broader cinematic movement while still holding onto its distinct identity.
Ithra has played a catalytic role in this transition. Long before dedicated film infrastructure existed, Ithra provided not only the space but also platforms and resources that enabled the festival to thrive. This partnership continues to evolve and has shaped the festival’s growth and expansion. The festival connects regional filmmakers with international audiences, experts, and collaborators. It provides an entry point to the global creative dialogue, allowing Arab filmmakers to not only showcase their work but also shape the broader cinematic narrative.
What is the goal or vision of having this festival?
The vision behind the festival has gradually developed. When we started in 2008, the goal was to create a space for filmmakers to come together and share their work. At that time, filmmaking in Saudi Arabia was happening quietly, with few public outlets or opportunities to screen locally. Many were creating films that never reached an audience at home.
The festival was born out of a need to change to provide a gathering point where filmmakers could connect, be seen, and feel part of a creative community. Although it paused for a few years, it returned in 2015 with renewed purpose and has continued evolving ever since. One of its core aims has always been to fill the gaps, offering access to workshops, labs, panels, and mentorship that were not available before. We also helped connect local filmmakers to the international scene by nominating their work to global festivals. Starting from the fourth edition, we expanded beyond a single city, organising film screenings across various regions of the Kingdom even beyond the festival dates. That spirit of accessibility and year-round engagement remains central to the festival’s vision today.
Can you share details on some of the Arab filmmakers we should be aware of?
At the Saudi Film Festival, our approach to Arab filmmaking, especially in the Gulf Cinema section, goes beyond nationality. We focus on films that are meaningfully connected to Saudi Arabia. That could mean a film that explores local issues, portrays Saudi culture, or was shot here. The filmmaker’s background is secondary to the story they’re telling.
We’ve seen a wide range of talent emerge under this model. Some filmmakers explore deeply personal narratives, while others are pushing stylistic and thematic boundaries through documentary, animation, or experimental formats. It’s this diversity of approach, grounded in a shared regional context, that we find most exciting.
Rather than spotlighting individuals, the festival’s role is to create space for a broad spectrum of Arab voices offering them a platform and surrounding them with the resources to grow. That includes connecting them with international experts, authors, and critics through juries, workshops, and collaborative sessions that enrich the creative process.
What are your thoughts on the growing industry in this region today?
In my opinion, after this major cultural transformation in Saudi Arabia, the fastest-growing sector is undoubtedly the film industry, which is moving at a very rapid pace. Since the opening of cinemas in 2018, by 2024, we’ve seen three fully Saudi films become top trends, ranking first at the box office. This was something we expected to happen in 10 to 15 years, because Saudi audiences were accustomed to American, Hollywood, Bollywood, and Egyptian films, as well as others like Korean cinema. It was relatively new for them to watch a Saudi film, so logically, we would have expected that it would take at least 10 years to see a film reach box office success, especially when comparing it to industries with a history of over a hundred years, or at least several decades.
This rapid growth is incredibly promising and indicates that there are talents, abilities, and topics that can be presented within the Saudi context, and through Saudi culture, in the cinematic arts. Certainly, there are institutions that enable and support this progress, such as the Ministry of Culture and the Film Commission, with their open strategies and support, as well as other entities like the Red Sea Film Festival, NEOM, and others. Ithra of course, remains a central pillar in the cinema ecosystem through its sustained and very active support to Saudi projects in the form of funding, education programs and mentorship. It’s impressive to think that in just a few short years, such initiatives have begun to encourage and nurture the industry. The Saudi Cinema Association, though a non-profit and non-governmental organisation, also plays a significant role in this development.
What still needs to be done in the region to help increase the awareness and success of Saudi filmmakers on a global level?
Personally, I focus more on the domestic side because if we succeed locally, global success will follow naturally. This could be applied to everything. If we create a product that we can be proud of, enjoy, and be amazed by, it will surely capture the attention of people worldwide. The world is a part of us, and we are part of the world.
At this moment, I believe there are other challenges, economic, legal, and regulatory, that we must be involved in solving, especially in the film sector. On the other hand, there needs to be a strong focus on the economic aspect. There is substantial capital available, and it’s important to recognise that the film industry is a real investment opportunity. It has the potential to contribute significantly to national economic growth. Moreover, there is existing capital that may not be directly linked to cinema, but when people consider the economic potential of cinema, its revenues and economic contributions, they will realise its high profitability compared to other traditional economic sectors.
Why was it important to you to establish this festival?
My background is not in cinema, it is in poetry, but I truly believe that poetry exists in everything, including cinema. I fell in love with cinema early on and began to follow it closely, then started blending the two. In 2005, we began hosting screenings at the Eastern Province Literary Club. At that time, showing films in the Eastern Province, particularly in Dammam, was quite difficult, and it was nearly impossible at the national level. But there was a need, and when we started the screenings, it became clear that filmmakers were emerging from unexpected places, people we hadn’t known in the literary club. We were familiar with poets, writers, and critics, but these were new voices, a different generation. They started presenting us with works they were creating.
We began to realise that there was a new generation in need of a platform. That’s how it started, and its objectives grew until it reached where it is now. Ithra understood this vision early on, recognising the role of cinema as a multidisciplinary art form that can bring people together and encourage cross-cultural understanding. Ithra’s support from the third edition of the festival onward was not just logistical; it was philosophical. It reflected a shared belief in nurturing homegrown creativity while inviting the world to engage with it.
How do you feel the festival has grown since the beginning?
I believe that our main concern has always been to ensure that we continue year after year. We didn’t want this to be a one-time event. Continuity, gradual growth and sustainability have always been our priority. We wanted each edition to show progress and achieve set goals. And now, we have more measurable goals than before. We recognise that this art has truly become the pinnacle of culture. It now encompasses all forms of art, including poetry, storytelling, literature, cinema, music, theatre, and performance, and thus, it is the fastest way to communicate stories to the world.
In your own experience, how has the cinema industry grown in recent years?
As a viewer, I have witnessed how the film sector has grown. Before the major transformations in Saudi Arabia in 2018, the efforts were individual ones. But cinema is a collective endeavour, not an individual one. From 2018, we saw rapid growth, especially in the same year. This growth happened because all the forces within our society believed in it, supported it, and contributed to it. Even the youth, previously disengaged from cinema, became passionate about them because all forces became interconnected. This is very important; any growth in any field should not come from one party alone; it requires a collective drive.
What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers?
My advice is to never settle for anything less than the best. It’s crucial to combine talent with knowledge and learning. Focus on presenting the best of what you have. Of course, all beginnings are difficult, but there must be determination to deliver. Collective work is essential in cinema. Therefore, there are scientific, cognitive, psychological, and social mechanisms to consider when working in this field, and it’s important to give it the attention it deserves.
What films are currently on your watch list?
I have loved poetic cinema for a long time in my life, and I adore anything related to it. From the very beginning until today, I have always been drawn to this aspect. The film that I have recently fallen in love with is a Saudi film called Hobal.
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