Look alive, movie buffs! The Arab British Centre’s SAFAR Film Festival launches across Britain on Thursday 29th June, and is coming to screens near you.
Featuring in nine major UK cities, screenings of over thirty movies from the Arab world will run over the course of eleven days, culminating on Sunday 9th July. There will be ten premiers of brand-new movies, and a series of live Q&A sessions with directors. The festival also involves a series of panels and workshops.
The SAFAR Film Festival was founded in 2012 as an event dedicated to presenting cinema from across the Arab world, and is run by the Arab British Centre, a London-based charity organisation who seek to further understanding of Arab culture in the UK.
The festival is taking place across Britain, featuring in Birmingham, Glasgow, Hull, Liverpool, Oxford, Cardiff, Plymouth, Manchester and London. Birmingham’s screenings are centred in the Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), and there are four exciting subtitled films up for grabs. Check out the programme below:
Wednesday 5th July: The Damned Don’t Cry
Directed by Fyzal Boulifa, ‘The Damned Don’t Cry’ (2023) follows Fatima-Zahra and her teenage son, Selim, constantly on the move whilst trying to outrun scandal. When Selim discovers the truth of his mother’s past, she vows to make a change. Tangier looks to be the promised land of legitimacy that the pair crave, but amongst their dual and individual antagonisms, Fatima-Zahra and Selim’s mother-son relationship is put to the test.
A British filmmaker of Moroccan descent, Fyzal Boulifa won a collection of prizes at several international film festivals for his first feature film, ‘Lynn + Lucy’ (2020). The screening of ‘The Damned Don’t Cry’ will be followed by a live, onstage Q&A with the director.
Thursday 6th July: Alam
An exciting feature debut by Firas Khoury, ‘Alam’ (2022) is an absorbing coming-of-age drama, set in Israel. For Tamer and his friends, who are all Palestinians living in Israel, the build-up to Nabka day (the day Palestinians memorialise their displacement, which coincides with Israel’s Independence Day) exacerbates the social and psychological dissonance they experience every day. Joined in class by Maysaa, a resolute and beautiful young woman, Tamer is swept off his feet. As the pair grow closer, Tamer agrees to participate in a mysterious operation, dubbed ‘Alam’.
Saturday 8th July: The Blue Caftan
Maryam Touzani’s ‘The Blue Caftan’ (2023) follows Halim and Mina, the owners of a traditional caftan store in Salé, one of Morocco’s oldest medinas. When the business begins to struggle under the pressures of the modern world, the couple hire a talented young apprentice, Youssef. When Mina begins to recognise how deeply her husband is moved by Youssef’s presence, the trio are put to the test.
Sunday 9th July: Dounia & The Princess of Aleppo
Dounia is only six years old when she is forced to leave her home in Aleppo in André Kadi and Marya Zarif’s 2022 feature. Dounia sets forth on a perilous journey in search of a new home, accompanied by her grandparents and a sense of magic stemming from the rich stories her parents told her. ‘Dounia and the Princess of Aleppo’ blends the magic of childhood innocence and imagination with the tragedy of growing up in a warn-torn country, with use of songs, myths and hand-drawn animation to make such difficult topics accessible for children aged 5-12.
The film festival is set to be an exciting few days, and a great chance to experience cultural exchange and outstanding artistic Arab talent. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to support the Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), a registered charity bringing the arts to Birmingham. Don’t miss out! Head to the MAC website to check out their itinerary for the event, and grab your tickets for the screenings while they last.
