Submissions are now open for the eighth Saudi Film Festival, which will run from June 2 to 9 at Ithra in Dhahran. The festival is calling on filmmakers to submit work in three competition categories: Best Feature Film, Best Short Film and Best Script. Those from the Gulf are also invited to apply to compete for the Gulf Film Award, which is being launched this year, according to the festival's website. All entries are to be made online and the deadline is March 31. This year, the festival announced it will honour Khalil bin Ibrahim Al-Rawaf, the first Saudi filmmaker to become a Hollywood actor, and Khaled Al Siddiq, a pioneering Kuwaiti producer, screenwriter and director. His film <i>Bas ya Bahar </i>(Cruel Sea), which he produced and directed in 1972, was the first Kuwaiti film to be submitted to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film. Under the theme of “poetic cinema,” the event will host screenings of Palme d’Or films, training workshops and seminars. The festival will also cast a spotlight on Chinese cinema by screening a selection of its films. The Saudi Film Festival is organised by the Association of Culture and Arts in Dammam, in partnership with Ithra and with the support of the Film Commission of the Ministry of Culture. <i>More information on the Saudi Film Festival is available </i><a href="https://www.saudifilmfestival.org/sff8reg2022" target="_blank"><i>here</i></a><i>.</i>