Saudi Arabia Cancels 2026 Red Sea Film Festival as Middle East Fighting Rages
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 21
Saudi Arabia Cancels 2026 Red Sea Film Festival as Middle East Fighting Rages
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 21
Summary
Saudi Arabia scrapped this year’s Red Sea International Film Festival, halting a marquee cultural event as conflict across the Middle East intensifies.
The cancellation was tied directly to ongoing regional fighting, making security and timing the central obstacle to staging the festival.
The Red Sea festival had become a high-profile draw for Hollywood figures including Emily Blunt, Adrien Brody, Gwyneth Paltrow and Michael Caine.
The move underscores how the widening war is spilling beyond the battlefield, disrupting flagship events in Saudi Arabia’s broader push to build its global entertainment profile.