November 9 – 15, 2025

Nov 9, 2025

0 Days

0 Hours

0 Minutes

0 Seconds

Register Now

Strategic Partner

Media Partner

Film Week

Festival Program

Nov 9, 2025

Arab and International Short Films - Threads of Identity

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Outdoor Screen

Local World Premiere "Al Kayd"

LOCAL WORLD PREMIERE "Al Kayd" written by Dr. Ahmed Hamada (speaker panel Dr. Ahmed Hamada, Director Hatem Houssam & Main Actor Hussein Haddad) Screening & Director/Writer/Actor Q&A

7:00 PM - 10:00 PM | 360 Cinema

Nov 10, 2025

Arab and International Short Films - Echoes of Loss, Whispers of Hope

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM | Outdoor Screen

Arab and International Short Films

Arab and International Short Films moderated by a talk on Crit by Khalid Al Failakawi (Cinematic Buzz)

12:00 PM - 2:00 PM | AIU Auditorium

Visual Literacy and Workshop

Hamad Al Sarraf

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM | AIU Auditorium and A-SG50

Nov 11, 2025

Workshop- Foundations of Branding for Entrepreneurs

Bizango Team (Mark Figlozzi, Susan Jackson, Chaney McCullough)

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM | AIU Auditorium

An Acting Journey by Mr. Richard Leacock

Lecture by Mr. Richard Leacock "An Acting Journey" followed by International Shorts (including 2 of Mr. Richard's own films)

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | AIU Auditorium

Arab and International Short Films - Fragments of Family, Mirrors of Change

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Outdoor Screen

Spotlight on Local Cinema

4 Kuwaiti Film Directors films screening and Panel Discussion: Hamad Yousef Alnoori, Abdulaziz AlBallam, Latifa Al Qatami, Musaed AlQudifi

6:00 PM - 10:00 PM | Cinescape

Nov 12, 2025

Panel Discussion about Production in Kuwait

AlZain AlHumaidhi, Abas Al Yousifi moderated by Dawood Shuail

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM | AIU Auditorium

Arab and International Short Films - Flames of Resilience

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Outdoor Screen

Night of Cinema at AIU

Fragmentation & Boy inside the Cocoon with Q&A with Directors Maryam Al Abbad & Ahmed Turkait hosted AIUKIFF Ambassador

5:00 PM - 8:00 PM | AIU Outdoor Screen

Nov 13, 2025

AI Filmmaking: Enhancing Real Footage to Create High-End Cinematic Scenes

Ahmed Al Khudari

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM | A-SG50

Junior Juror Program

SIFF Ambassador

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | AIU Auditorium

The Hyper Democratization of Storytelling

Lecture by Dr. Sanjeev Chatterjee followed by two Arab and International Short Documentaries

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | AIU Auditorium

Arab and International Short Films-First Light: Horizons of Love and Growth

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Outdoor Screen

AIUKIFF x Sharjah International Film Festival Film Screening

SIFF Collaboration 7 short films

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM | Cinescape

Nov 15, 2025

Closing Ceremony

7:00 PM - 10:30 PM | AIU Auditorium

Speakers

Film Festival

Dr. Abdulaziz AlBallam

Film Director, Cinematographer

Mr. Ahmed AlKhudari

Filmmaker

Mr. Dawood Al-Shuail

Director

Dr. Ahmad Hamada

Film Director

Hamad AlSarraf

Film Director, Screenwriter, Producer

Mr. Hamad Yousef Alnoori

Filmmaker, Producer

Ms Latifa Al Qatami

Filmmaker

Musaed Alqudifi

Director, Filmmaker

Prof. Sanjeev Chatterjee

Graduate Program Director, Documentary MFA

Jury

Festival Program

Dr. Afif J Arabi

Director, Writer, Cinematographer, Assistant Professor of Communication & Media

Ms. Dalida Chahine

Filmmaker & Actress

Mr. Dawood Al-Shuail

Director

Dir. M. Dahham

Filmmaker

Mr. Jassim AlQuames

Producer, Director, Co-Founder Free Jabriya Productions

Mr. Mahmood Alshaikh

Director

Associate Professor Maysaa Almumin

Filmmaker

Mr. Talal Al-Muhanna

Film, TV and Theater Producer

Let’s look back at the amazing moments from the 2024 festival.

Thank you for your submissions!

Thank you for your film submissions for the 2025 Kuwait International film festival. We are excited to review your incredible work and look forward to showcasing the selected films at the AIU Kuwait International Film Festival 2025.

Stay tuned for more updates and announcements!

Submission Deadline Closed:

September 1, 2025

Award Categories

Best Arab Feature Fiction Film

Best Kuwaiti Short Film

Best Cinematography

Best Actor

Best Arab Feature Documentary

Best Arab Short Documentary

Best Arab Short Fiction Film

Best International Short Fiction Film

Best International Short Documentary

Submission Guidelines

Submission Fee: Free.
Eligibility: Open to filmmakers worldwide.
Limit: One submission per director. Multiple submissions from the same director will not be accepted.
Film Requirements:
- Arab & International Short Films: 4 to 30 minutes in length.
- Arab Feature Films: 60 to 120 minutes in length.
- All films must be original and produced no earlier than 2022.
Deadline: All films must be submitted by September 1, 2025, 11:59 PM Kuwait time.