Kicking off on June 18 at Ciné Lumière, this year’s SAFAR festival, titled on Dreams Hopes and Realities, will begin with Mohamed Jabaly’s documentary Life Is Beautiful, exploring European solidarity and border rigidity amid the Gaza war.
Following the screening, Mohamed will host a Q&A and join the UK-wide festival tour.
Lina Soualem’s Bye Bye Tiberias, showcasing four generations of Palestinian women, including Hiam Abbas, will also be a highlight, with screenings across the UK. The program, including stories from Palestine, Sudan, and beyond, focuses on themes like love, family dynamics, and autonomy. Premiering in the UK, Amr Gamal’s The Burdened depicts Isra’a and Ahmed’s challenges in Yemen, navigating parenthood amidst tough choices.
The festival is curated by long time SAFAR and Arab British Centre collaborator Rabih El-Khoury, and this year’s programme will showcase filmmaking debuts along with seasoned veterans from the Arab region across the UK.
In a time of war in Gaza, Palestine sits at the programme’s heart while stories from Sudan, the Gulf and the wider region bring varied dimensions to this year’s theme.
This year, SAFAR collaborates with international and UK-based curators to offer fresh perspectives. Butheina Kazim from Cinema Akil, Dubai, brings a new take on Gulf cinema. Saeed Taji Farouky focuses on Palestinian resistance and solidarity with radical works and archival material. Talal Afifi, founder of Sudan Film Factory and Sudan Film Festival, presents two evenings showcasing Sudanese cinema, spanning from the 1970s to contemporary works reflecting post-2019 revolution themes. The selection explores socio-political developments and cinematic techniques employed by Sudanese filmmakers over four decades.
See you there.