DAMMAM: The fourth edition of the Saudi Film Festival begins Monday evening in Dhahran.
The Culture and Arts Association in Dammam, in association with King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, has organized the event.
The festival, extending over six days, includes the participation of 58 Saudi films, according to SPA.
The festival will also show a promotional film showcasing the participating films in this edition as well as exhibiting a documentary film on the festival’s third edition. It will also honor artists participating in the film industry in the Kingdom.
The festival will also have competitions in the fields of narrative films, documentaries, student films, scenario competitions as well as holding workshops in the management and financing of the cultural production.
Another workshop will give the basics of 3-D as well as a workshop in the issue of cinematography, in theory and practice as well as the improvisation in front of camera. The workshop will also focus on story structure and character development.
The Culture and Arts Association in Dammam said in a statement that the festival aims to raise the standards of quality and technical arrangements in order to elevate the supporting content of the festival’s competitions.
The association stressed that the festival is considered one of the programs of the national initiative to support the Saudi film industry and activate the cultural movement in the Kingdom. The initiative supports young men and women interested in production and providing a creative environment to exchange ideas.
4th Saudi Film Festival to focus on strengthening nascent industry
4th Saudi Film Festival to focus on strengthening nascent industry
Saudi wildlife center records rare sighting of critically endangered leatherback turtle in Red Sea
- NCW says the leatherback traveled thousands of kilometers to reach the Red Sea
- The closest known nesting grounds are located in India’s Andaman Islands, some 6,500 km distant
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's National Center for Wildlife (NCW) has documented a rare sighting of a leatherback sea turtle in the Red Sea, marking a significant biological record for one of the planet's most critically endangered marine species.
The sighting occurred approximately 30 kilometers off the coast of Al-Qunfudhah within the Blue Holes Protected Area, a newly established marine reserve, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The NCW confirmed that the presence of a leatherback in these waters is an exceptional event. Recognized as the largest turtle species on Earth, the leatherback can weigh up to 900 kilograms. It is easily identified by its unique leathery, black carapace—distinguished by five longitudinal ridges rather than a hard bony shell—and its ability to dive to depths exceeding 1,000 meters.
Noting the species' migratory nature, the center explained that leatherbacks travel thousands of kilometers foraging for jellyfish. The specimen likely navigated through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in search of food.
This is considered a remarkable journey, the NCW said, noting that the nearest known populations reside in the Indian Ocean, spanning waters from South Africa to Sri Lanka (roughly 7,000 to 8,000 kilometers away). The closest known nesting grounds are located in India’s Andaman Islands, approximately 6,500 kilometers distant. No nesting activity has been recorded in the Red Sea.
According to the IUCN Red List, the leatherback is Critically Endangered in the Indian Ocean. While data for the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf is scarce, recent isolated sightings include a juvenile recorded in Jordan in December 2025 and another off Djibouti in 2019.
The NCW emphasized that these rare appearances highlight the ecological importance of the Kingdom's marine conservation efforts in the Red Sea. The center pointed to the Farasan Islands Marine Protected Area, along with the new Blue Holes and Ras Hatiba reserves, as critical sanctuaries that could support the potential expansion of such endangered species' ranges.
