ARAB NEWS, LONDON

Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival has been postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

The organizers released a statement on Tuesday saying that the decision was driven by the safety and wellbeing of guests, staff and audiences being of “primary consideration.”

The statement said: “It’s with feelings of deep sadness that we have had to take this tough decision. The spread of coronavirus is a battle we all must face around the globe, and its with no hesitation that we are respecting all the measures needed to meet the current health emergency.

The organizers thanked people for their “support and understanding” and assured film fans the festival would take place at a later date “as soon as feasible” as they “remained committed to all filmmakers, producers, partners and audiences.”

The 10-day event was set to feature a number of local and regional movies and high-profile guests such as director Spike Lee were scheduled to attend.