Red Sea International Film Festival 2026: Dates, Venue and How to Attend

Red Sea Film Festival 2026 at a glance

When and where the festival takes place

The Red Sea International Film Festival returns to Jeddah for ten days, opening on Thursday 3 December 2026 and closing on Saturday 12 December 2026. Organisers confirmed the dates in April 2026, and the Saudi Press Agency followed with the opening of early registration.

The festival is run by the Red Sea Film Foundation, a non-profit cultural organisation registered in Saudi Arabia. It was established in 2019, and the first edition finally opened in December 2021 after pandemic delays.

How to attend the Red Sea Film Festival

There are two realistic routes for a visitor: an accreditation badge, or public tickets to individual screenings.

What is on the programme

The 2026 edition combines public screenings with a professional strand of panels, talks and market activity. Three competitive sections take submissions:

• Red Sea: Competition for features from Saudi, Arab, Asian and African filmmakers.
• Red Sea: Shorts Competition with the same geographic eligibility.
• New Saudi Cinema, restricted to Saudi filmmakers and residents.

Winners take the Yusr awards.

Per the festival’s published rules for this edition, the feature competition carries:

• Golden Yusr worth USD 100,000 split between director and producer
• Silver Yusr of USD 30,000, and USD 10,000 each for Best Director, the Jury Prize and Best Screenplay.
• The shorts competition awards a Golden Yusr of USD 25,000 and a Silver Yusr of USD 12,500
• Audience awards of USD 50,000 each for a Saudi and an international title.

Running alongside is the Red Sea Souk, the industry marketplace, with project market activities scheduled for 5 to 9 December 2026 and a selection of 32 feature projects in development, production and works in progress presented to financiers, distributors and sales agents.

The foundation also runs the Red Sea Fund, Red Sea Labs and a 48-hour film challenge for young Saudi and Saudi-resident filmmakers.

For context on scale, the fifth edition in December 2025 ran under the theme “For the Love of Cinema” and screened more than 100 films from Saudi Arabia, the Arab world, Asia and Africa, with Sean Baker presiding over the jury. Akio Fujimoto’s Lost Land took the top prize.

Submitting a film before the 2 August deadline

Submissions opened on 26 April 2026 and were free until 7 July, after which regular fees apply: SAR 100 for shorts under 59 minutes and SAR 200 for features of 60 minutes or more, both inclusive of VAT. Entries close on 2 August 2026.

Eligibility is tight. Films must be 2025 or 2026 productions that have not screened at a festival, in cinemas or online before 31 December 2025, they need Middle East and North African premiere status, and they must be submitted in the original language with English subtitles. Read the full rules on the festival site before you upload.

Before you travel: the regional situation in 2026

This matters for anyone booking flights to Saudi Arabia for December. The regional conflict has disrupted Gulf aviation through 2026, and Saudi Arabia has been directly affected.

• An EASA information note issued on 14 July 2026 and valid to 31 August advises operators to factor potential risk over Saudi Arabia (Jeddah FIR) into their risk assessments and routing.
• Per Wego’s flight-status tracker, Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam and Madinah airports remain operational but have seen repeated cancellations and delays.
• Four southern airports, Abha, Jizan, Najran and Sharurah, were closed by NOTAM from 13 July 2026 and still shut as of mid-July. Check current status before booking any southern route.
• Several European carriers have suspended or cut Saudi services, mostly to Riyadh and Dammam. Air France’s Riyadh route was suspended into late July 2026, KLM’s Riyadh and Dammam services until 23 August, and Lufthansa Group services to Riyadh and Dammam are suspended until 24 October. Separately, British Airways ended its Jeddah route permanently in April 2026.

The Red Sea International Film Festival has not announced any change to its dates or venue, and preparations are continuing.

Even so, confirm before you book: check your airline’s status page, keep your booking flexible where you can, and re-check in the week before departure.

Wego is tracking both stories in Saudi Arabia airspace and flight status and the running list of Saudi events postponed or cancelled in 2026.

Getting to Jeddah and into Al-Balad

King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) is the gateway, sitting north of the city, and the drive down to Al-Balad usually takes 25 to 45 minutes depending on traffic. Saudia, flynas and flyadeal are the main Saudi carriers at Jeddah, alongside a wide slate of international airlines. If you are combining the festival with time elsewhere in Saudi Arabia, domestic hops from Jeddah are frequent and cheap.

Most visitors need a visa. Saudi Arabia’s tourist eVisa is open to a list of eligible nationalities published by Visit Saudi, and holders of certain US, UK and Schengen visas or residence permits may also qualify. Check your eligibility on the official portal well before December.

December is one of the better months to be in Jeddah, with average highs around 29°C and nights near 23°C. Rain is uncommon, averaging about 16 mm across roughly one day in the month, though it does arrive: torrential rainfall forced the 2025 festival into an emergency shutdown on 9 December, cancelling that day’s screenings and activities.

Where to stay

Staying inside or beside Al-Balad puts you within walking distance of the venues and the evening souk atmosphere, and the district has a growing set of restored heritage guesthouses. The Corniche and the northern business districts offer more conventional international hotels in Jeddah, usually 15 to 30 minutes away by car. Rooms fill quickly around the festival, so book early.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Red Sea Film Festival 2026?

The sixth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival runs from 3 to 12 December 2026, a ten-day run in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Where is the Red Sea Film Festival held?

In Al-Balad, the historic district of Jeddah, at the Red Sea Film Foundation’s headquarters in Culture Square. Al-Balad was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014 as Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah.

How do I get Red Sea Film Festival tickets?

Public screening tickets go on sale through the festival website and the Red Sea Film app after the programme is announced in November 2026. Accredited badge holders receive four complimentary film tickets per day and can book 48 hours before general release.

Can anyone apply for accreditation?

The festival offers several badge categories covering industry professionals, students and film enthusiasts. Applications opened on 11 May 2026 and close on 10 December 2026, with fees tiered by how early you apply. Badges are collected in person in Jeddah between 2 and 11 December.

When do film submissions close for the 2026 edition?

2 August 2026. Fees are SAR 100 for shorts under 59 minutes and SAR 200 for features of 60 minutes or more, including VAT. Films must be 2025 or 2026 productions that have not screened publicly before 31 December 2025 and must hold Middle East and North African premiere status.

Is it safe to travel to Jeddah for the festival?

Jeddah’s airport is operating, and the festival has not announced any change to its plans. Regional tensions have caused repeated flight cancellations and delays across Saudi Arabia through July 2026, and an EASA information note valid to 31 August 2026 asks operators to factor potential risk over the Jeddah FIR into their planning. Check your government’s travel advice and your airline’s status page before booking and again before you fly.

Plan your Red Sea Film Festival 2026 trip

The sixth Red Sea International Film Festival gives you ten days of programming inside a UNESCO-listed old town, with a clear path in whether you want a badge or a handful of screenings. Lock the dates, watch for the November programme announcement, and keep an eye on flight status as December approaches.

Start with hotels in Saudi Arabia and compare rates before the festival crowd arrives.

Sources

• Red Sea International Film Festival: Accreditation
• Red Sea International Film Festival: Film Submissions
• Red Sea International Film Festival: Rules and Regulations
• Red Sea International Film Festival: Red Sea Souk 2026
• Saudi Press Agency: Red Sea International Film Festival Opens Early Registration for Sixth Edition
• Saudi Press Agency: Red Sea International Film Festival Opens Submissions for Red Sea Souk
• Arab News: Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival reveals 2026 dates
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah
• The Hollywood Reporter: Red Sea Film Festival Will Put the Spotlight Back on Jeddah Old Town Al-Balad
• Deadline: Lost Land Wins Best Film At Red Sea Film Festival
• Variety: Lost Land Wins Top Prize at Red Sea Film Festival
• The Hollywood Reporter: Red Sea Film Festival Goes Into Emergency Shutdown Amid Torrential Rains
• EASA: Information Note on the threat and risk situation in the airspace of the Middle East and Persian Gulf, 14 July 2026
• Safe Airspace: Saudi Arabia conflict zone and risk database
• OPSGROUP: Middle East airspace current operational picture
• Euronews: Middle East flights, Air France suspends routes to Riyadh, Dubai and Beirut
• Head for Points: British Airways terminates Jeddah route
• Sky Sports: F1 confirms cancellation of Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix
• Weather and Climate: Jeddah December averages
• Visit Saudi: Visa regulations and eligibility
• Visit Saudi: Jeddah destination guide

Disclaimer: We’ve worked hard to make sure the information in this article is as accurate and up to date as possible at the time of publishing. Travel details such as prices, schedules, visa rules, and entry requirements can change at short notice, so it remains your responsibility to verify the current details with official sources before you book or travel. Wego accepts no liability for any loss or inconvenience arising from the use of this content.