This year’s edition has drawn falconers from nine nations, including the GCC states, Italy, Ireland and Syria
Updated 25 December 2025
Arab News
RIYADH: The 2025 King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival, which started on Thursday at the Saudi Falcons Club’s Malham facility north of the capital, has attracted falconers from the Kingdom and around the world.
The first day of the event, running until Jan. 10, featured six qualifying heats for local competitors in multiple classifications: Gyr Pure Fledgling and Passage, Peregrine, and Saker varieties in Fledgling (Farkh) and Passage (Qarnas).
Participants will vie over 139 rounds for 1,012 prizes worth over SR38 million ($10 million). There are two primary disciplines, the Milwah lure racing trials over 400 meters, and Mazayen beauty contests.
The racing has four skill levels — owners, amateurs, professionals, and elite — with separate divisions for Saudi and international competitors. The beauty competitions have exacting aesthetic criteria.
This year’s edition has drawn falconers from nine nations, including the GCC states, Italy, Ireland and Syria. The festival holds three Guinness World Records for the planet’s largest falcon event based on bird participation.
Walid Al-Taweel, spokesman of the Saudi Falcons Club, said the festival remains committed to cultivating next-generation interest in the sport.
Saudi Film Festival to return in April with focus on Korean cinema
Ahmed Al-Mulla, founder and director of the Saudi Film Festival, said in a statement: “We’re excited to welcome filmmakers to our annual gathering. Our doors are open to all creators, and filmmakers remain at the heart of everything we do
Updated 15 February 2026
Arab News
DHAHRAN: The Saudi Film Festival, organized by the Cinema Association in partnership with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture and supported by the Saudi Film Commission, has announced that it will launch at Ithra in Dhahran between April 23-29.
This year’s festival explores the theme of “Cinema of the Journey,” presenting a selection of Arab and international films, both short and feature-length, that center on journeys and movement as essential storytelling elements.
Since its launch in 2008, the Saudi Film Festival has played a central role in nurturing local and Gulf cinema. (Supplied)
The program includes road movies, travel narratives and films where physical or emotional journeys drive the narrative.
The theme encourages Saudi filmmakers to explore this subject through their own perspectives. It positions cinema itself as an act of continuous transition, where identity, place, and time converge to shape the human experience.
FASTFACTS
• This year’s Saudi Film Festival will explore the theme of ‘Cinema of the Journey,’ presenting a selection of Arab and international films that center on journeys and movement as essential storytelling elements.
• The program includes road movies, travel narratives and films where physical or emotional journeys drive the narrative.
Following last year’s focus on Japanese cinema, the festival will present a special “Spotlight on Korean Cinema” this year.
Ahmed Al-Mulla, founder and director of the Saudi Film Festival, said in a statement: “We’re excited to welcome filmmakers to our annual gathering. Our doors are open to all creators, and filmmakers remain at the heart of everything we do. This year’s festival creates an atmosphere filled with inspiration, idea exchange, and shared learning. It’s a celebration of cinematic creativity for everyone.”
Tariq Al-Khawaji, deputy director of the festival, added: “At Ithra, we’re proud of our longstanding partnership with the Cinema Association. It has enabled the festival’s growth and thematic diversity year after year, which we see clearly in how we empower filmmakers and create opportunities to engage with global cinema.
“The festival continues to grow across all areas, from preparations and participation to industry expectations locally and regionally. That makes attention to every detail essential.”
Since its launch in 2008, the Saudi Film Festival has played a central role in nurturing local and Gulf cinema. After intermittent early editions, it has now established itself as an annual platform for narrative and documentary competitions, industry programs and project markets.
By bringing together emerging and established filmmakers in Dhahran each year, the festival strengthens Saudi Arabia’s growing presence on the global film stage.
