Each year, as summer warms the canals of Venice and the city’s seaside Lido, the world’s oldest film festival springs to life. Founded in 1932, the Venice International Film Festival has become more than a showcase of cinema; it’s a stage where stories from every corner of the globe collide, mingle, and leave their mark. Over 120,000 attendees and more than a thousand journalists from 56 countries descend on the city, turning gondola-lined waterways and sun-soaked promenades into a bustling moment of creativity.
This year, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), made its debut at the 82nd edition of the festival, presenting two projects that highlight the range and depth of Saudi creativity. The film Hijra, co-funded by Ithra alongside other major Saudi film institutions, was selected for the Spotlight Competition, a category dedicated to bold, original voices from across the globe. Its press screening at Sala Giardino was fully booked, a clear signal of growing international interest in Saudi cinema and storytelling.
In a different, immersive vein, Mirage, a project born out of Ithra’s Creative Solutions Residency, was featured in the Venice Immersive Section. Created by the creative mind of Naima Karim, the experience takes audiences on a metaphorical journey through desert landscapes, inspired by her daughter’s experiences with depression and anxiety. The work fuses personal narrative with striking visual artistry, giving life to an experience both intimate and universal.
Flint Culture’s European team provided on-ground, in-person support with Italian-speaking media representation and relationship-building with key festival stakeholders.
