عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Culture

Cultural Development Fund Concludes Participation in 10th Saudi Film Festival

The Saudi Film Festival is a prominent annual event featuring and celebrating diverse films and screenplays that have witnessed remarkable development over the years - SPA
The Saudi Film Festival is a prominent annual event featuring and celebrating diverse films and screenplays that have witnessed remarkable development over the years - SPA
TT
TT

Cultural Development Fund Concludes Participation in 10th Saudi Film Festival

The Saudi Film Festival is a prominent annual event featuring and celebrating diverse films and screenplays that have witnessed remarkable development over the years - SPA
The Saudi Film Festival is a prominent annual event featuring and celebrating diverse films and screenplays that have witnessed remarkable development over the years - SPA

The Cultural Development Fund (CDF) wrapped up its participation in the 10th annual Saudi Film Festival (SFF). The fund's third consecutive sponsorship of the Saudi Film Festival has come to solidify its role as a key supporter and financial enabler to enrich and stimulate the growth of a vibrant Saudi film sector, according to a CDF news release.
According to the statement, the festival which is celebrating its 10th anniversary was organized by the Saudi Cinema Association in collaboration with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and with the support of the Film Commission. It took place from May 2nd to May 9th in Dhahran.
According to SPA, the fund's active participation in the eight-day Festival featured a pavilion within the Production Market Exhibition, welcoming guests and film enthusiasts and showcasing its financing and non-financing solutions.
Leading the conversation was the "Film Sector Financing Program," a cornerstone initiative through which the fund supports entities across the film sector. This initiative encompasses everything from film and TV content development to infrastructure, heavy equipment, filming equipment, sound, makeup, and more.
Additionally, the fund showcased its suite of non-financing solutions, including its "Consultations" and "Vouchers" services, which enable creatives to enhance their projects' readiness.
As an integral part of its participation in the Production Market, the CDF engaged in a thought-provoking dialogue session titled "Saudi Support Funds" alongside Ithra and the Red Sea Fund. Faris Alaskar, the fund's representative, took centre stage, shedding light on the comprehensive support extended by the Film Sector Financing Program to industry businesses while exploring the promising opportunities within the Kingdom's burgeoning film industry.
The Production Market's closing ceremony witnessed a tribute to the Cultural Development Fund, acknowledging its invaluable sponsorship of the festival and its pivotal role in championing and supporting the film industry.
The Saudi Film Festival is a prominent annual event featuring and celebrating diverse films and screenplays that have witnessed remarkable development over the years. In this year's edition, the film funded by CDF, "Ahlam Alasr," a cinematic creation by the talented Godus Brothers, competed in the "Feature Film" category, captivating audiences as part of the festival's film screening schedule.
The CDF was founded in 2021 to enhance the cultural landscape within Saudi Arabia further. It is organizationally linked to the National Development Fund to promote the development of a self-reliant cultural sector. The fund actively supports various cultural activities and projects, facilitates investment, and seeks to improve the domestic cultural sector's profitability in alignment with the National Culture Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030.

Most Viewed

 
 
Culture

Red Sea Museum Hosts Contemporary Art Exhibition to Showcase Marine Biodiversity

The collection features diverse media, including rare black coral crafts and textiles that evoke underwater textures - SPA
The collection features diverse media, including rare black coral crafts and textiles that evoke underwater textures - SPA
TT
TT

Red Sea Museum Hosts Contemporary Art Exhibition to Showcase Marine Biodiversity

The collection features diverse media, including rare black coral crafts and textiles that evoke underwater textures - SPA
The collection features diverse media, including rare black coral crafts and textiles that evoke underwater textures - SPA

The Red Sea Museum in Historic Jeddah is hosting a contemporary artistic exhibition that explores the Red Sea’s marine richness by connecting its geological origins, dating back to the Eocene epoch, with natural history and artistic expression.

Through a series of sculptures and installations, the exhibition showcases the region's vast biodiversity, from microorganisms to large mammals, SPA reported.

The works emphasize the Red Sea’s resilient coral reefs, thriving in warm, high-salinity waters, while delivering powerful environmental messages on the urgency of reef protection and ecological sustainability.

The collection features diverse media, including rare black coral crafts and textiles that evoke underwater textures.

These pieces complement the museum’s permanent collection of over 1,000 artifacts, reinforcing the Kingdom’s commitment to preserving its cultural and environmental heritage through modern, immersive displays.

Culture

Saudi Pavilion Highlights Cultural Exchange at Sarajevo Book Fair

The fair is held under the theme "Book Path" and features 200 exhibitors. SPA
The fair is held under the theme "Book Path" and features 200 exhibitors. SPA
TT
TT

Saudi Pavilion Highlights Cultural Exchange at Sarajevo Book Fair

The fair is held under the theme "Book Path" and features 200 exhibitors. SPA
The fair is held under the theme "Book Path" and features 200 exhibitors. SPA

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, represented by the King Fahd Cultural Center in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is participating in Saudi Arabia’s pavilion at the 37th Sarajevo International Book Fair held from April 22 to 27 at the Skenderija Center.

The fair is held under the theme "Book Path" and features 200 exhibitors from Bosnia and Herzegovina and around the world presenting their publications across an exhibition area of more than 10,000 square meters.

The pavilion, inaugurated in the presence of Saudi Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Anas Al-Wusaidi, showcases the center’s cultural programs, publications, and activities.

It includes a documentary highlighting the Kingdom’s civilizational progress and the achievements of Saudi Vision 2030, as well as films introducing Saudi cities and tourist landmarks.

The pavilion also features educational and training programs, a Saudi culture corner, a workshop on Saudi coffee preparation, an Arabic calligraphy corner, and a children’s area.

The ministry’s participation in the fair reflects Saudi Arabia’s leading role in serving Islam and Muslims inside and outside the Kingdom, its message of moderation and tolerance, and its commitment to strengthening cultural exchange.

Culture

Ithra Showcases Ithra Design Week at Milan Design Week 2026

Ithra Showcases Ithra Design Week at Milan Design Week 2026
TT
TT

Ithra Showcases Ithra Design Week at Milan Design Week 2026

Ithra Showcases Ithra Design Week at Milan Design Week 2026

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), an initiative of Aramco, is participating in Milan Design Week, one of the world’s most prominent annual design events, taking place during April 20-26, 2026. This participation reflects the center’s aspirations to strengthen the role of design within the cultural landscape. As part of its presence, Ithra is presenting key features of Ithra Design Week (IDW)—announced last year as a dedicated platform supporting the design sector and designers, aimed at fostering collaboration, nurturing creativity, and advancing design content from the Arab world on the global stage.

As part of its participation, Ithra is presenting the exhibition “Default is Not Universal” at the Isola Design Festival, within the framework of Milan Design Week 2026. The exhibition represents the first tangible realization of Ithra Design Week as a regional platform for designers, showcasing their creativity and cultural narratives to international audiences while opening channels for global dialogue on the future of design, SPA reported.

Manager of Programs at Ithra Nourh Al-Zamil said: “Ithra’s participation in Milan Design Week; one of the most important global events in the field of design, reflects the Center’s mission to empower creative talent, strengthen cultural exchange, and support the growth of the creative economy at both regional and international levels. It also highlights Ithra Design Week 2026, that announced last year as a platform dedicated to supporting and advancing the future of Arab design.”

Al-Zamil added that Ithra’s international participation in leading design and creativity forums serves as an important platform for attracting designers from across the Middle East. She noted that the “Default is Not Universal” exhibition, presented in collaboration with Isola Design; a partnership spanning four years; aims to empower creativity and connect designers from around the world. She emphasized that the exhibition reflects Ithra’s continued efforts to build a year-round integrated ecosystem enabling designers to collaborate, grow, and thrive.

The “Default is Not Universal” exhibition features works by eight designers from across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and includes seven interactive stations. Through the use of artificial intelligence, the exhibition collects visitor interaction data and transforms it into a dynamic map illustrating how cognitive patterns are shaped by diverse cultural influences. In an innovative step, this data will later be used to commission a designer to produce an entirely new piece reflecting the exhibition’s insights and outcomes.

The exhibition represents a collaborative experience between Ithra and Isola Design and is the outcome of a four-year partnership. Following its debut, the exhibition will be expanded and travel to Saudi Arabia, where it will serve as the anchor international exhibition of the main Ithra Design Week event scheduled to take place later this year.

The exhibition’s seven interactive stations include “The Collective Sofa,” a white seating installation by Studio Oblique (UAE) that transforms through visitor interaction into a shared archive reflecting their contributions; “Moments of Absence,” a sculptural installation featuring miniature ceramic chairs by Fajr Al-Basri (Bahrain) that invites visitors to select and sketch the chair they most identify with; and “Body Blocks,” an interactive game by Davina Atteya (Lebanon) inspired by Mesopotamian figurative forms, enabling users to assemble hybrid characters through modular components.

Additional stations include “Attar Al-Balad,” a sensory installation composed of sculptural blocks formed from traditional Saudi herbs and spices that re-evokes memory through scent; “Reflections,” a collection of mirrors by designers from Egypt, the UAE, and Morocco exploring visitors’ perceptions of color, form, and identity; “Majma,” an interactive musical instrument by digital artist Samit Rohila enabling visitors to collaboratively compose spontaneous collective soundscapes; and finally “Daughters of Berythus,” an installation embedding traces of craft traditions and everyday life that invites visitors to explore material memory through touch.