News recently broke regarding the departure of Managing Director, Shivani Pandya Malhotra, for the Red Sea Film Foundation after being off service for 7 years. Though her exit from the organization was official on June 1st, this was announced on June 6th via multiple media outlets.
Pandya Malhotra was part of the original staff that pioneered and built the organization from the ground up in 2019 following the removal of Saudi Arabia’s ban on cinema for 35 years that had lifted 2 years prior. She, along with others, had the goal of reviving cinema while also reuniting the MENA (Middle Eastern & North African) film communities in Saudi Arabia with surrounding countries in the region, then eventually expanding those local connections into global ones. They have accomplished this by creating the country’s first international film festival that has grown to become one of the biggest film festivals in the Middle East, closely fulfilling the country’s ambitions to become global hub for Film & Television to modify and improve their economy in a way that oil is no longer the country’s main revenue source by 2030.
Aside from the festival’s success in its past 5 editions (and AMC’s claim to have brought cinema back to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as “a leader in the entertainment industry”), there are political issues that hinder the country from achieving the success they have been striving for that seems just within reach. The ongoing conflict between Iran and various countries has discouraged people from visiting the region thus stunting their tourism revenue despite its climb after the country welcomed tourists in 2019. In response, the kingdom is offering an incentive of cash rebate of up to 60% for film productions within the country that will simultaneously assist their economy.
Through her work within the nonprofit organization over the past 7 years, Shivani Pandya Malhotra shared her well of knowledge pertaining to the management of festival circuits originating from her experience in the same role for both the Dubai International Film Festival (now inactive as of 2017) and Gulf Film Festival (also affected this year by the ongoing violent conflict). She brought much enthusiasm when it came to discussing the plans for the 1st Edition of the Red Sea Film Fest while encouraging those who were considering attending, then was transparent about the difficulties faced during the festival’s first run in 2021 after being delayed due to the global pandemic but also received media praise.
Shivani Pandya Malhotra at the 1st Edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival in 2021.
“After seven incredible years and five remarkable editions of the Red Sea International Film Festival, I leave with immense pride in everything we have built together,” said Pandya Malhotra.
Because this statement of resignation was surprising, it has raised questions about what the event will look like in the future – namely, its upcoming edition in December. Another surprising aspect is the speculation of reasoning for this sudden structural disruption that may be accompanied by disagreements on the organization’s future direction between its newly appointed CEO and Malhotra, though only time will tell.
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