The Festival Also Offers Special Programming To Local Audiences, And Unprecedented Access To The Diversity And Range Of Authentic Arab Experiences. The Festival Has Gained An International Reputation For Excellence And Offers Its Audiences Access To Media That Reflects The Lives Of Under-Represented And Provocative Themes And Groups On A Cultural And Societal Level.

Schedule Of Events:

October 24, 2024

7:00pm - Opening Night: Life Is Beautiful: A Letter To Gaza

The 28th Arab Film Festival Will Open On October 24 In San Francisco With Life Is Beautiful: A Letter To Gaza By Mohamed Jabaly. This Documentary Film Will Touch Your Heart And Remind You Of All That's Good, And Also What's Painful And Awful, In The World.

Life Is Beautiful: A Letter To Gaza Is Distributed By Watermelon Pictures Whose "Mission Is To Shift Culture On A Large Scale By Bringing Palestinian Cinema, And Other Untold Stories, To Broad Audiences In A Way That Entertains, Inspires, And Activates Audiences."

October 25, 2024

4:00pm - Palestinian Voices

At The Arab Film And Media Institute, We Seek To Continually Change The Narrative, Share Our Stories, And Foster Understanding Of Our Common Humanity Through Art And Storytelling. At The End Of Last Year, In Response To Beginning Of The Ongoing Genocide In Gaza, We Started A Program Called Palestinian Voices To Do Just This. Throughout This Dire Time, We Feel That Is It More Important Than Ever To Share The History, Culture, And Stories Of Palestine.

In Contrast To Western Media Coverage That Often Dominates The Narrative, This Program Highlights The Stories Of Palestinians As They Want To Tell Them. Each Film Offers Us Glimpses Into The Daily Lives Of The Palestinian People–Their Struggles Under Occupation, But Also Their Hopes, Dreams, And Insistent Reclamation Of Life, Despite It All. We Are Honored To Share These Shorts That Explore Childhood Imagination, The Efforts To Return, And The Solidarity That Can Be Found In Surprising Places.

5:40 Pm - Arze

Arzé Is A Struggling Single Mother Living In Beirut With Her Agoraphobic Older Sister And Teenage Son, Kinan. Supporting The Family By Making Homemade Pies Delivered On Foot By Her Son, Arzé Knows That The Business Can Only Sustain Them For So Long. In A Move Of Desperation, She Steals Her Sister's Cherished Bracelet To Pawn For The Down Payment On A Delivery Scooter. But Disaster Strikes When The Scooter Is Stolen, Jeopardizing Her Only Way To Provide For Her Family. Up Against A Ticking Clock To Either Find The Scooter Or A Way To Pay For It In Full, Arzé And Kinan Embark On A Wild Journey Through The Turbulent But Vibrant, Multiethnic Levantine Capital In Pursuit Of The Pilfered Moped.

8:10pm - Baghdad Messi

The Talented Hamoudi Is An 11-Year-Old Boy With A Passion For Soccer And An Ultimate Dream To One Day Reach The Level Of His Idol Lionel Messi. The Day Hamoudi Is Caught In A Horrific Suicide Attempt, He Wakes Up Severely Injured In A Hospital. As His Parents Struggle To Keep The Family Safe, Hamoudi Is Determined To Fight For His Shattered Dream.

October 26, 2024

12:30pm - Front Row

Up Bright And Early With Their Pet In Tow, Zohra Bouderbala And Her Five Children Are Heading To The Beach. This Is Not A Drill! In Algiers, The Coveted Front Row Spot Waits For No One, But It's Not This Family's First Time Having To Beat The Summer Seaside Crowds. The Unmotivated And Out-Of-Luck Masses Who Arrive Too Late Will Be Left To A Viewless Laze In The Sun, The Alleged Horizon Blocked By A Fortress Of Parasols And Flowing Canopies.

2:35 Pm - Back To Alexandria

After Twenty Years Of Absence, Sue Returns To Egypt, Her Native Country, To See Her Mother, Fairouz, An Eccentric Aristocrat With Whom She Has Severed All Ties. This Surprising Journey, Taking Her From Cairo To Alexandria, Tinted With Distant Memories, Nostalgia, And Mixed Feelings Towards Her Past, Will Enable Her To Become Free And Emancipated. - Based On His Childhood Memories, The Director Tells Us About The Relationships Filled With Tough Love Between His Mother And His Grandmother.

4:35pm - Archiving Armenian Stories (Screening + Discussion)

In This Special Program, We Will Highlight Armenian Stories That Are In Conversation With The Entire Swana Region. In Light Of The Recent Violence Against And Ethnic Cleansing Of The Armenian Community In Artsakh, And The Clear Parallels To The Ongoing Genocides In Gaza And Sudan, We Believe It Is Important That We Provide Space For The Armenian Community In San Francisco.

The Event Will Begin With A Screening Of Two Documentary Films: There Was, There Was Not By Emily Mkrtichian And The Short Film Symptom By Kamee Abrahamian. Both Films Chronicle The Stories Of Armenian Women - Their Passions And Practices As Well As Their Hopes And Dreams, While They Deal With The Aftermath Of War, The Beginning Of A New One, And Other Social And Political Issues That Plague Those Living Throughout Armenia.

This Will Be Followed By A Panel Discussion With The Filmmakers And Other Members Of The Community In Which They Will Discuss The Importance Of Cultural Documentation And Ancestral Preservation And Reclamation. Themes Of This Discussion Will Include The Importance Of Alternative Archival Methods And Documenting In Radically Personal Ways, With A Focus On How Individuals Can Preserve Their Own History Through The Digitization And Preservation Of Old Photos And Videos, Writing And Recording Of Oral Histories, Or Filming One's Own Experience. There Will Also Be A Focus On The Point Of View Of Women In Archival Practices And The Importance Of Being Able To Represent Oneself Instead Of Being Presented By Others.

7:35 Pm - Layla

It's Pride Month, And Layla, A Non-Binary Arab Drag Performer, Has Been Booked To Perform At A "Diversity" Event For A Ready-Meal Company. The Money Is Good, And They're Excited To Bring Their Work To A New Audience - But The Corporate Event Is Completely Hollow, With The Clientele Seemingly More Willing To Support The Rights Of Packeted Udon Noodles Than Trans People. Layla Is Little More Than A Visual Token Of Acceptance At An Otherwise Profoundly Vapid Event. And When, After Suffering A Series Of Belittling Encounters, Layla Discovers They're Only Being Paid In Ready Meal Tokens, They Turn Their Performance Into A Radical Satire Of The Whole Event That Leaves The Guests Shellshocked.

In Spite Of His Professional Loyalties, Max, A White Cis-Gender Gay Man Who Works For The Company Organising The Event, Is Bewitched. As Layla Makes A Rapid Exit, They Bump Into Max And The Two Unexpectedly Hit It Off - Layla Ends Up Bringing Max To A Queer Sci-Fi Party That Their Close-Knit Crew Are Hosting. For Max It Is Like Coming Into A World Of Queerness He's Never Had Access To. When Around Someone Like Layla, Max Feels Like He's Able To Inhabit A Totally New Liberated Persona.

And So The Pair Begin An Unlikely Romance, Much To The Discomfort Of Layla's Friends Who Have Seen Layla Chase Men Like Max Before. Despite Their Seeming Confidence And Command On Stage, Layla Also Has A Complex Yearning For Acceptance And Is Thrilled To Win The Affection Of A Conventional "White Knight" Like Max. Desperate For Approval From Their Family, And Faced With The Barriers Of Race, Privilege, Gender And Class Between Them, Layla Begins Ditching Their Heels And Opting For Cargo Pants In A Bid To Seem More Compatible To Max's Life. Max, Initially Hypnotised By Layla's Unabashed Queerness, Begins To Overanalyse All His Previously Unexamined Decisions In Life, Triggering His Own Internal Crisis.

As Their Relationship Strains Under These Pressures, Both Layla And Max Will Be Forced To Face Up To The Things Really Holding Each Of Them Back – For Max, His Unchecked Privilege And The Numbing Of His True Self In Order To Meet Societal Expectation, And For Layla, To Realise They Don't Need To Change Themself In Order To Be Worthy Of Love.

October 27, 2024

12:30pm - Youth Rebellions

These Stories Explore The Big And Small Rebellions Of Young People Navigating A Sensitive Time In Their Lives. From Having A First Kiss, To Dealing With Death, To Fulfilling The Expectations Of Gender Roles, The Characters In These Shorts Quickly Learn What Is Deemed Acceptable For Them In No Uncertain Terms. In Turn, Their Actions Become Rebellious As They Refuse To Fit Into The Lines Drawn By Friends, Family, And Society.

2:40pm - We Never Left (with Q&A)

Portraying A Heart-Wrenching Duality Between Life In Beirut And In New York, We Never Left Is A Tortured Love Story Of A Displaced People – An Impassioned Testament To Lebanese Expats' Unrequited Yet Irrepressible Love For Their Homeland After The Start Of The Lebanese Revolution.

5:10 Pm - To A Land Unknown

Chatila And Reda Are Saving To Pay For Fake Passports To Get Out Of Athens. But When Reda Loses Their Hard-Earned Cash To His Dangerous Drug Addiction, Chatila Hatches An Extreme Plan, Which Involves Them Posing As Smugglers And Taking Hostages In An Effort To Get Him And His Best Friend Out Of Their Hopeless Environment Before It Is Too Late.

7:30 Pm - Hajjan

In The High-Energy World Of Small-Circuit Camel Racing, Ghanim Is Preparing For The Great Safwa Race — Where Heroes Are Made. Here Among The Dusty Stables, Saddles, And Whips, The Revered Yet Dangerous Sport Doubles As A Struggle Over History, With Both Riders And Camel Owners Conjoined In The Pursuit Of Family Legacies. Younger Brother And Bedouin Tailor Matar Grew Up Hearing Ghanim Recite Poetry About Their Legendary Grandfather, Referred To Only As "Hajjan," The Arabic Word For Jockey. But While Following In His Grandfather's Footsteps, Building A Name For Himself In A Regional Qualifying Race, Foul Play Cuts Ghanim's Dreams Short.

October 29, 2024

6:00 Pm - Tba

October 30, 2024

7:30pm - Centerpiece Film: From Ground Zero

"From Ground Zero" Is A Compelling Project That Brings Together 22 Short Films Created By Talented Filmmakers From Gaza. Launched By Rashid Masharawi, A Notable Palestinian Filmmaker, The Initiative Emerged Amid The Backdrop Of Conflict, Aiming To Provide A Platform For Young Artists To Express Themselves Through Their Craft. Each Film, Ranging From 3 To 7 Minutes, Presents A Unique Perspective On The Current Reality In Gaza. The Project Captures The Diverse Experiences Of Life In The Palestinian Enclave, Including The Challenges, Tragedies, And Moments Of Resilience Faced By Its People. With A Mix Of Genres Such As Fiction, Documentary, Docu-Fiction, Animation, And Experimental Cinema, "From Ground Zero" Showcases A Rich Tapestry Of Stories That Reflect The Sorrow, Joy, And Hope Inherent In Gazan Life.

October 31, 2024

7:00 Pm -  Halloween Event: Al-Ta'weeza (The Curse)

Since This Year's Arab Film Festival Will Cross Through Halloween, It Feels Only Right To Bring In A Little Spookiness Into The Program.

In The Last Few Years, Audiences Across The Globe Have Rediscovered And Fallen In Love With The Film Anyab (Fangs), A 1980s Horror-Musical That Is A Vampiric Arab Spinoff Of The Beloved 1975 American Cult Classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Anyab Is The Work Of Mohammed Shebl, An Egyptian Filmmaker And Critic Who Is Known For His Campy Horror Films And His Work Both With And About Famed Filmmaker Youssef Chahine. Shebl Sadly Passed Away In 1996 At Just 47 Years Old And In The Years Since Then, His Work Has Become More And More Difficult To Access. While Many Respected Film And Cultural Institutions Have Screened Anyab, Audiences May Have Noticed That Every Screening Features A Low Quality Print With The Logo For A Now Defunct Cable Channel In The Corner. The Only Place Anyone Seems To Know Where To Access This Film Is Through The Internet Archive. The Rest Of His Work Is Nearly Impossible To Find, Especially With English Subtitles, As No One Knows Who Holds The Original Copies Of Shebl's Work.

Earlier This Year, The Arab Film And Media Institute Was Able To Access One Of Shebl's Other Horror Films, Al-Ta'weeza, Also Known As The Curse Or The Talisman In English. Similar To Other Known Copies Of Shebl's Work, This Copy Of Al-Ta'weeza May Not At Its Best Quality And Still Bears A Cable Logo In The Top Right Corner But Despite This, Fans Of A Campy 1980's Horror Films Will Still Enjoy Shebl's Creepy, Bizarre (And Surprisingly Funny) Work And Appreciate The Rarity Of This Special Screening.

November 1, 2024

5:00pm - Zinet, Algiers, Happiness

Who Remembers Mohamed Zinet? In The Eyes Of French Spectators Who Reserve His Face And His Frail Silhouette, He Is Simply The "Arab Actor" Of French Films Of The 1970s, From Yves Boisset To Claude Lelouch. In Algeria, He's A Completely Different Character... A Child Of The Casbah, He Is The Brilliant Author Of A Film Shot In The Streets Of Algiers In 1970, Tahya Ya Didou. Through This Unique Work, Zinet Invents A New Cinema, Tells Another Story, Shows The Algerians Like Never Before. In The Footsteps Of His Elder, In The Alleys Of The Casbah Or On The Port Of Algiers, Mohammed Latrèche Will Retrace The Story Of Tahya Ya Didou And Its Director.

6:30 - Dancing On The Edge Of A Volcano

On August 4th, 2020, The Catastrophic Explosion At The Port Of Beirut Leaves A Large Part Of The Lebanese Capital In Ruins. In The Midst Of The Chaos, A Troubled Film Crew Face An Overwhelming Decision: To Continue The Production Of Their Movie Or Abandon It? As They Face The Aftermath Of The Catastrophe, They Are Torn Between Their Firm Belief In The Transformative Power Of Cinema And A Deep Sense Of Cynicism About Its Ability To Effect Change In A Nation Plagued By Economic Turmoil And Societal Collapse. Dancing On The Edge Of A Volcano Chronicles Their Struggles And Highlights The Crew's Resilience As They Strive To Find Meaning And Purpose In Their Work Amidst The Devastation.

8:30pm - Who Do I Belong To

Aicha, A Tunisian Mother Gifted With Prophetic Dreams, Lives In A Rural Farm With Her Husband Brahim And Three Sons. Aicha And Brahim's Lives Are Completely Changed After The Departure Of Their Eldest Sons, Mehdi And Amine, To The Violent Embrace Of Isis. Having Lived Their Lives Solely For Their Children, Aicha And Brahim Find Themselves Groundless And Trying To Make Sense Of A Painful New Reality.

A Few Months Later, Mehdi Returns Home With A Pregnant Wife Named Reem. Reem's Niqab And Silence Deeply Unsettles Brahim. Aicha, On The Other Hand, Wants To Protect Mehdi And Reem At All Cost.

Meanwhile, Mehdi's Arrival Triggers Strange Happenings In The Village. Aicha Is Too Consumed With Protecting Her Son And Barely Notices The Rising Fear In The Community. Aicha Must Overcome  Her Blind Love For Mehdi In Order To Discover The Truth Behind The Growing Darkness.

November 2, 2024

1:00pm - Aida Returns

This Film Is A Poignant, Sometimes Sad, Sometimes Painful, Sometimes Humorous, Often Absurd Story Of A Multiple Journey: The Journey Of Loss As The Director's Mother Aida Struggled With Losing Herself To Alzheimer's Disease, But Finding Solace In Her Repeated "Returning" To The Yafa And Palestine Of Her Youth; The Journey Of The Loss Of A Parent; And The Ultimate Return Journey Back To Yafa Where Aida Would Finally Find Rest And Be Herself Once More.

Close To Four Years After Aida's Passing Away, The Director's Friend And Colleague Tanya Who Lives In Ramallah Came To Visit Beirut. When She Heard About Aida's Wishes And Yearning For Yafa, Tanya Suggested That She Herself Carries The Ashes Back. The Film Accompanies Director Carol Mansour As She Engineers A Way To Return Her Mother To Yafa In Search Of Eternal Rest And Peace For Her. A Return That Is Aided By An Unlikely Set Of Friends And Strangers All Coming Together To Facilitate What Should Have Been A Simple Journey. This Journey Is At The Same Time Very Private And Personal, While Resonating With Hundreds Of Thousands Of Alzheimer's Sufferers And Their Families As Well As Hundreds Of Thousands Of Palestinian Refugees Awaiting Their Return Home.

This Film Is A Tribute To The Lost Past Of The Director's Family, An Attempt To Restore Part Of Both An Individual And A Collective Memory, And A Poetic Nod And Affirmation To All Those Exiled Palestinians Forbidden From Returning To Their Hometowns, Even After Death.

2:50 Pm - Backstage

Aida, Member Of A Tunisian Contemporary Dance Troupe Touring Morocco, Provokes During A Representation In A Small Middle Atlas Town, Her Life And Stage Partner Hedi, Who Injures Her Onstage Triggering A Series Of Events Through A Long Night Across A Forest, On The Way To The Next Village's Doctor.

5:05pm - Better

Between 2009 And 2011, I (Director Kamal Ourahou) Filmed And Edited Nassim Lachhab's Very First Skateboarding Videos In Rabat, Morocco. In 2020, After Having Lived In France And Spain, Nassim Became The First Moroccan And African Professional Skater In History. Ever Since Then, I Kept Wondering: What Had It Been Like For Nassim To Rise To The Forefront Of The International Skate Scene, All The While Wrestling With The Challenges Of Immigration? In What Way Did His Groundbreaking Trajectory Resonate With The Current State Of Morocco's Skate Scene?

7:10pm - Retrospective: Slingshot Hip Hop (with Discussion)

Join Us For A Special Screening Of This 2008 Documentary, Profiling The Palestinian Hip-Hop Scene. The Film Will Be Followed By A Panel Discussion With Filmmaker Jackie Reem Salloum And Suhel Nafar - Head Of Empire Wana And Co-Founder Of Dam.

November 3, 2024

1:00pm - Dahik (Laughter)

Our Comedy Shorts Program Returns With A Selection Of Sharp, Witty, And Imaginative Films That Serve As Conduits For Social Commentary. This Year's Characters Must Deal With Increasingly Absurd Situations In Pursuit Of Simple (And Some Not-So-Simple) Desires, Whether They Are Trying To Steal A Kiss, Manage A Construction Site, Or Bring A Horse Up To An Apartment. However, Their Efforts Are Thwarted By The People Around Them, Who Are Not So Understanding Of Their Endeavors...

3:05pm - Tell Them About Us

Tell Them About Us Follows The Lives Of Seven Teenage Girls As They Embark On A Journey Of Adolescence In Eberswalde, A Provincial City In East Germany, Just 55 Km From Berlin. As Newcomers To The Area, The Girls Find Themselves Navigating Not Only The Typical Challenges Of Teenage Life—Friendships, School, And Self-Discovery—But Also The Complexities Of Adapting To A New Culture And Environment. Thrown Into A World That Is Both Unfamiliar And Often Unwelcoming, The Girls Grapple With The Nuances Of Their Identities As Immigrants And Refugees. Their Experiences Of Displacement, Cultural Adjustment, And The Pressures Of Assimilation Add Layers Of Complexity To Their Coming-Of-Age Narratives. Despite These Challenges, They Find Solace And Strength In Their Shared Bond As They Strive To Carve Out A Place For Themselves In Their New Home And Community. Parallel To Their Daily Lives, The Director Facilitates Workshops Where The Girls Explore Their Hopes, Dreams, And Fears Through Writing, Music, And Acting, Afterwhich, They Write Scenes In Order To Stage In Front Of The Camera. These Scenes Are Turned Into Dream Sequences Where The Girls Envision Themselves Ahead, As A Way To Process Painful Experiences And Playfully Translate Them Into Future Perspectives.

7:15pm - Closing Night: Goodbye Julia

In Honor Of Sudan And In Acknowledgement Of The Ongoing War And Genocide Taking Place There, We Present Our Closing Night Film Goodbye Julia, Which Looks At Tensions In The Country Prior To Secession Of South Sudan. The Film Was Sudan's Submission To The 97th Academy Awards. Don't Miss This Beautiful And Moving Film.

Date: October 24 - November 3, 2024

Location: Various Venues

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