How Ithra is helping shape the future of Saudi cinema beyond blockbusters

Film programme developer Feras Almusharria says it's important to cultivate movies rooted in Saudi society

Irtizaz is one of two films Ithra screened at the Red Sea Film Festival this year. Photo: Sara Balghonaim

Saudi Arabia’s film industry is evolving at remarkable speed, with conversations often focused on box office milestones and studio-backed blockbusters.

Multiplex expansions and record-breaking releases have become familiar symbols of progress. But beyond the premieres and red carpets, institutions such as the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture (known as Ithra) are quietly shaping a deeper and more lasting transformation.

Through the Ithra Film Fund, the centre has committed itself to supporting Saudi filmmakers working across development, production and post-production, with a focus on independent and arthouse cinema. The fund operates on a non-recoupable, grant-based model, backing short and feature-length projects that reflect Saudi culture in personal and distinctive ways.

For Feras Almusharria, film programme developer at Ithra, this approach is rooted in a long-term view of how national cinema is formed. He argues that while commercial films are an important part of the ecosystem, the deeper identity of Saudi cinema will come from elsewhere.

“We support arthouse cinema, independent cinema,” he says. “One of the reasons we support these films is that we believe part of shaping this industry will come from the commercial films, but the majority of the films that will create the texture and the identity of the Saudi cinema will come from the independent and arthouse filmmakers.”

Feras Almusharria is the film programme developer at Ithra. Photo: Ithra

This philosophy is reflected in Ithra’s consistent presence at festivals such as the Red Sea International Film Festival. Ithra participates both in the screening programme and the production market, where it presents the Ithra Film Award, offering 50,000 Saudi riyals in development funding to a Saudi project.

In the screening section, two Ithra-supported films were selected this year. The first was Hijra, a feature-length film written and directed by Shahad Ameen, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. The other was Irtizaz, a short film by Saudi filmmaker Sara Balghonaim.

When Hijra screened at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, its Saudi premiere carried a rare intimacy. “I am from Jeddah, so this is my territory,” Ameen told The National. The film, which won the Netpac Award for Best Asian Film in Venice and was selected as Saudi Arabia’s submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature, is set for a mid-January release in the UAE.

Rooted in faith, family and migration, Hijra follows a grandmother travelling to Makkah with her two granddaughters before the journey is disrupted by a disappearance. For Ithra, the film exemplifies the kind of culturally grounded, director-driven work the fund seeks to support, pairing personal storytelling with themes that resonate across generations and borders.

Shahad Ameen received the Film AlUla Audience Award for Best Saudi Film for Hijra during the Yusr Awards Ceremony at the Red Sea International Film Festival 2025. Getty Images

Irtizaz is also another example of the type of Saudi films that Ithra wants to champion. The idea for the film emerged from a phrase Balghonaim grew up hearing. “‘Don’t miss the train, even if you don’t have a ticket,’ is a saying I grew up hearing from the older women in my community,” she says. “It meant get married, no matter what it takes.”

The saying encapsulates a familiar social pressure, one that Balghonaim examines with satire and emotional clarity. “Mothers and daughters will parade around at any given opportunity for the chance to catch the eye of a prospective mother-in-law, and the film Irtizaz is a satire of this ritual,” she says.

The film follows Juju, a young divorced woman attempting to re-enter a social structure that no longer has space for her. “The closest English equivalent to irtizaz is ‘peacocking’,” she explains. “In this case, it refers to women displaying themselves to one another within a social context, often tied to marriage prospects.”

Sara Balghonaim says her short film Irtizaz came from a personal experience that is shared in modern Saudi Society. Photo: Sara Balghonaim

Almusharria emphasises that cultural connection is essential, which is why films such as Irtizaz align so well with Ithra's vision. “Each film that we fund has to be connected to the Saudi culture in any shape or form,” he says, adding that projects must include a Saudi co-producer and a licensed Saudi production company.

At the same time, Ithra encourages collaboration beyond the kingdom. “We do believe that with the depth of the Saudi culture and the international expertise, powerful Saudi stories can emerge.”

Balghonaim says Ithra’s support extended beyond financing. “Unlike many funding institutions, they recognise that filmmaking is not a side pursuit, but a profession.”

“Their support is especially meaningful in a young industry, where filmmakers need the space to experiment, take risks, and try new approaches for original voices to truly emerge,” she says.

That emphasis on growth over speed is something Almusharria has observed across the industry. Having worked with Saudi filmmakers for more than 15 years, he says the desire to tell stories has always been present. What has changed is confidence and maturity.

Audience expectations have also evolved. Almusharria believes Saudi viewers are increasingly drawn to films that reflect their lived reality. “We are extremely thirsty and hungry for films that look like us and that represent us,” he says.

Film festivals, he argues, play a crucial role in developing that appetite. “Five years ago, most of the Saudi audience thought maybe that the festival is only for filmmakers,” he says. “What we’re trying to do is expose the Saudi audience to a different type of cinema.”

Meanwhile, looking ahead, Balghonaim hopes for a more balanced and patient ecosystem. “Writing takes time, often years,” she says. “Not every meaningful film can or should be rushed into production.”

She also stresses the need for creative risk alongside commercial success. “Blockbusters help build infrastructure and audiences,” she says. “But it’s the more personal and daring films that expand the language of cinema and shape a distinct cultural voice.”

Almusharria agrees as he believes cinema is a tool for dialogue and cultural exchange. “One of the most powerful things in the world is our stories,” he says. “One of the best ways to tell stories is through cinema.”