To set up 153 Cultural Houses across the Kingdom by 2030, Saudi Arabia wants to foster creativity and dialogue in pursuit of its vision for a knowledge-based society.
Featuring a production market, workshops, discussions, and international collaborations, this year's festival shows that the event has evolved into a space that shapes films before they are made.
In an interview with Al Majalla, the Saudi journalist explains how his country is advancing without compromising its values and that younger and older generations each have an important role to play
Showcasing the traditions of different Saudi provinces and performing British classics with the Royal Philharmonic (and even an Adele song), these Saudi artists left their mark on the British capital
What entered school curriculum in the late 50s under the influence of Crown Prince Faisal experienced a renaissance with the advent of the internet, which continues to this day
A visionary film, and the state-of-the-art way in which it was shot, shows how modernised production is moving the country's movie-making up to global standards with a new genre: Arab action
The Saudi pioneer of the prose poem reveals why her recent collections were linked by the theme of water and how the artform means she has lived many lives.
Filmmakers are being adventurous, and production quality is superb, but the tendency to over-indulge has lessened the impact of some Saudi films. Still, the future is bright.
With so many high-quality offerings in Saudi cinema, films must rise to a very high bar to impress audiences. Abdelelah Alqurashi's latest film falls short.
Beijing would like the week to mark a historic turning point in which a unipolar world finally gave way to multipolarity. To others, it was just tub-thumping bravura. In reality, it was a bit of both.
The country now sits at an energy crossroads: will its recovery be anchored in oil and gas, or will it seize the chance to lean into renewables and build something more resilient?
After Israel dealt Iran and its regional axis a string of crippling blows last year, Lebanon now finds itself better-positioned to reclaim its eroded state sovereignty. Will it grab the chance?
Recent books from Yemen, Egypt, and Syria take a new look at the 10th-century philosopher's famed letter 'The Epistle of Forgiveness', which is said to have inspired Dante's 'Divine Comedy'
An earthquake in Afghanistan earlier this week levelled entire villages and left people trapped under rubble for days, but in the shadow of the Hindu Kush, saviours were thin on the ground