Shivani Pandya Malhotra Departs Red Sea Film Festival Leadership

Shivani Pandya Malhotra has officially stepped down from her position as managing director of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival. Since the festival's inception in 2019, Malhotra has been a central figure in the organization, overseeing its growth from a nascent project into a cornerstone of the regional cinematic landscape. Her departure marks the end of a foundational era for the Jeddah-based event.

Under Malhotra’s leadership, the festival successfully navigated the complexities of Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning entertainment sector, which emerged following the 2018 lifting of the country’s long-standing ban on commercial cinemas. Over the course of five editions, she helped transform the festival into a premier destination for international industry professionals and established it as the leading film market within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

This leadership transition comes at a critical juncture for the Red Sea Film Festival as it seeks to maintain its momentum on the global stage. By fostering connections between local talent and the international film community, the festival has played a significant role in the Kingdom's broader cultural transformation. The industry will now be watching closely to see how the festival board navigates this change and who is appointed to steer the organization through its next phase of development.