Saudi Film Commission Participates in Annecy International Animation Film Festival

The Saudi Film Commission logo
The Saudi Film Commission logo
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Saudi Film Commission Participates in Annecy International Animation Film Festival

The Saudi Film Commission logo
The Saudi Film Commission logo

The Saudi Film Commission is participating in the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2025, taking place from June 8 to 14 in Annecy, France, one of the world’s most significant events in the field of animation.

The Commission’s participation aims to enhance communication with animation creators worldwide, promote Saudi animation in European forums, keep abreast of the latest trends in this sector, and enable national talents to benefit from the accompanying training programs.

The Saudi Film Commission’s participation includes a delegation from the Commission, along with a group of Saudi filmmakers specializing in animation, selected based on criteria that considered their activity and specialization in the field, as well as their production of animated works during 2024.

This participation also forms part of efforts to strengthen distribution and exhibition channels and enrich the animation sector locally.

Participation in the festival reflects the Kingdom’s ambition to be a leading voice in the global cinema and animation industries, as the festival serves as a prominent platform for creative collaboration, co-production opportunities, and professional dialogue, providing a launchpad for international partnerships that contribute to the growth of the Kingdom’s cultural economy over the long term.



Firefighters Battle a Wildfire Burning Out of Control on the Greek Island of Chios

A firefighting helicopter during firefighting operations on Chios Island, Greece, 24 June 2025. EPA/KOSTAS KOURGIAS
A firefighting helicopter during firefighting operations on Chios Island, Greece, 24 June 2025. EPA/KOSTAS KOURGIAS
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Firefighters Battle a Wildfire Burning Out of Control on the Greek Island of Chios

A firefighting helicopter during firefighting operations on Chios Island, Greece, 24 June 2025. EPA/KOSTAS KOURGIAS
A firefighting helicopter during firefighting operations on Chios Island, Greece, 24 June 2025. EPA/KOSTAS KOURGIAS

Hundreds of firefighters backed up by aircraft were battling a wildfire burning out of control for the third day on the eastern Aegean island of Chios Tuesday, with authorities issuing multiple evacuation orders.

Towering walls of flames tore through forest and agricultural land on the island, where authorities have declared a state of emergency and have sent firefighting reinforcements from Athens, the northern city of Thessaloniki and the nearby island of Lesbos, said the Associated Press.

By Tuesday morning, the fire department said 444 firefighters with 85 vehicles were tackling the blaze on scattered fronts. Eleven helicopters and two water-dropping planes were providing air support.

Emergency services have issued evacuation orders for villages and settlements in the area since Sunday, when fires broke out near the island’s main town. The fire department has sent an arson investigation team to Chios to examine the cause of the blaze.

“We are faced with simultaneous fires in multiple, geographically unconnected parts of the island — a pattern that cannot be considered coincidental,” Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Giannis Kefalogiannis said Monday from Chios. Authorities, he said, were “very seriously examining the possibility of an organized criminal act, in other words arson.”

The minister said police forces on the island had been reinforced, while military patrols had been doubled.

“Whoever thinks that they can play with the lives of citizens and cause chaos with premeditated actions will be led to court,” Kefalogiannis said. “Arson is a serious crime and will be dealt with as such.”

Wildfires are frequent in Greece during its hot, dry summers. In 2018, a massive fire swept through the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens, trapping people in their homes and on roads as they tried to flee. More than 100 died, including some who drowned trying to swim away from the flames.