The first edition of the Saudi Film Festival was launched on May 20, 2008, and lasted for five days. It was organized by the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts and the Literary Club in Dammam.

The first edition of the festival held seminars and workshops on filmmaking and showcased a selection of participating films that did not compete for the festival's awards, attracting cinema enthusiasts and local artistic talents.

The second edition of the festival began on February 20, 2015, organized by the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts in Dammam. It brought together amateur and professional filmmakers, showcasing new works from various genres, with entries from all provinces of the Kingdom.

The third edition of the Saudi Film Festival was launched on March 24, 2016, and lasted for five days.

This edition of the festival featured the first-ever "Production Market" event, which discussed communication and collaboration with film producers and funding issues, resulting in the adoption of selected scripts for support. Additionally, three workshops were held: "The Art of Acting in Cinema," "Creative Production," and "Cinematography."

The fourth edition of the Saudi Film Festival was held on March 27, 2017, and lasted for five days. It was organized for the first time in collaboration with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts.

In this edition, the festival saw a change in the designations of the awards given to participants. The Golden Palm Award was renamed to "Grand Prize, Golden Palm," and the Silver and Bronze Palm Awards were replaced with awards given to other elements in the participating films.

The fifth edition of the Saudi Film Festival began on March 21, 2019, and lasted for six days. The festival was organized by the Dammam branch of the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts, in partnership with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture "Ithra".

This edition of the festival was distinguished by specialized workshops and discussion sessions with cinema enthusiasts. It also hosted experts from production and distribution companies to meet with filmmakers in the "Production Market" initiative.

The sixth edition of the festival was held at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture "Ithra" from September 1-6, 2020. The events were conducted online due to the "COVID-19" pandemic. The festival was organized by the Dammam branch of the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts, with support from the Film Commission of the Ministry of Culture.

The "Audience Choice" Award was a highlight of the sixth edition of the festival. For the first time, it allowed the audience to vote for one film from the categories of feature, documentary, and student films, with the winning film receiving a cash prize of SAR10,000.

The seventh edition of the festival was held from July 1-7, 2021. It was organized by the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts in Dammam, in partnership with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture "Ithra".

The eighth edition of the festival was held from June 2-9, 2022. For the first time, it was organized by the Cinema Association instead of the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts in Dammam. The event was held in partnership with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture "Ithra" and supported by the Film Commission of the Ministry of Culture. The theme of "Poetic Cinema" was chosen as the main focus for its seminars.

The Saudi Film Festival 2022 announced the introduction of new awards in the unproduced screenplay competition category, including the "Ghazi al-Gosaibi Award for Best Screenplay Based on a Saudi Novel" and an award in the short films competition for the Best Gulf Film.

The ninth edition of the festival, organized by the Cinema Association in collaboration with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture "Ithra" and supported by the Ministry of Culture represented by the Film Commission, was held under the theme "Comedy" from May 2-9, 2023. The festival showcased seventy-eight films across forty-eight screening groups and four groups dedicated to children. Additionally, eight films were available for viewing through virtual reality devices.