The Red Sea Film Foundation has named Faisal Baltyuor as its new CEO.

The veteran Saudi film producer and industry pioneer, who begins his new role on June 1, will officially succeed Mohammed Al Turki after Al Turki took on an advisory role with the organizer of the annual Red Sea Film Festival. That led Mohammed Asseri to step in as interim head.

“I am deeply honored to assume the position of CEO at the Red Sea Film Foundation, a leading institution at the forefront of Saudi Arabia’s cultural and cinematic evolution. In a remarkably short time, the Foundation has secured its place on the global festival map, and we are committed to building on this success,” Baltyuor in a statement said of his new role.

Baltyuor was the first head of Ithra Cinema and the first CEO of the Saudi Film Council. He also launched and runs the Saudi distributor CineWaves Films and serves as CEO at Muvi Studios. And Baltyuor recently opened Riyadh’s first arthouse cinema, Cinehouse, and his film executive producer credits include The Perfect Candidate, which screened at the Venice International Film Festival, and the Saudi box office hit Sattar.  

Jomana Al-Rashid, chairwoman of the Red Sea Film Foundation, in her own statement welcomed Baltyuor to his new post. “Today, we are delighted to welcome Faisal to this transformative journey. His visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to unlocking the boundless potential of emerging talent will fuel not only artistic excellence but also the sustainable growth of our industry,” Al-Rashid said.

Over the past five years, the Red Sea International Film Festival has showcased more than 520 films from 85 countries and another 130 Saudi titles. The upcoming edition will run from Dec. 4-13 in the historic district of Al Balad in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.