As part of an effort to build Saudi Arabia into a global animation hub, the country’s Red Sea International Film Festival has entered into a three-year partnership with Annecy organizer CITIA to create collaborative opportunities between their events.

They signed an MOU (pictured) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia last week stipulating that Annecy, the world’s largest annual animation festival, will showcase animated short and feature films from Saudi Arabia at its 2026 event, which will be attended by a delegation from the Red Sea fest in partnership with the Saudi Film Commission.

CITIA and Red Sea will also team up to establish workshops, masterclasses and a talent exchange program, as well as exploring opportunities for French and Saudi Arabian studios to develop talent, co-produce and access each other’s markets.

Meanwhile, the Red Sea International Film Festival (which takes place each December in Jeddah) will include an animation-focused panel starting in 2026. And it plans to host a companion “Best of Annecy” animation festival in Jeddah that will include outdoor screenings, family-friendly programming and activities for kids.

Saudi Arabia has been investing heavily in film, TV, theme parks and gaming over the past few years to attract tourists and evolve the country into an entertainment hub. In 2022, the Saudi Film Commission launched a 40% cash rebate for local and international films designed to attract foreign partners. And in September, the Saudi government teamed up with several US investors to sign a definitive agreement to buy video game giant Electronic Arts for US$55 billion.

Most recently, the country held its first-ever Saudi Animation Forum from December 5 to 6 to attract international investment, foster local talent and build an animation economy. The event’s website quoted Parrot Analytics data from 2023 finding that there is a large audience demand for animation in Saudi Arabia. (SpongeBob SquarePants and My Hero Academia are among the top 20 most in-demand series there.)

But with all of this growth, controversy is likely to follow. Saudi Arabia has notably come under fire in the past from groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for alleged human rights abuses, including gender-based violence and criminalizing same-sex relationships.