What began in a single venue as a biennial event celebrating popular Arab cinema has grown into the UK’s largest Arab film festival, bringing over 170 rarely-screened classic and contemporary films to 10 cities in its tenure so far.
This year’s SAFAR programme spans decades, geographies and genres, and speaks urgently to the present while excavating the past. It presents cinema that bears witness, that dares to remember and that subverts expectation. From intimate social critique and stark reflections on war and displacement, to ecological explorations, black comedy, and musicals, these films remind us that Arab cinema is not confined to one narrative but is a multitude of voices, visions, and lived realities.
This June SAFAR returns to Chapter for the fourth time. The programme begins with a new restoration of Egyptian cinema classic, Watch Out For Zouzou, a luminous musical comedy, and Mo Harawe’s award-winning debut film, The Village Next To Paradise, a skilful portrait of the life, longing, and resilience of a family in Somalia.
SAFAR also presents two new documentaries exploring life in Sudan and Palestine. Sudan, Remember Us follows four young Sudanese activists in their twenties. Spanning the years from the Sudanese revolution of 2019, to the outbreak of the grievous civil war in 2023, this film captures the revolutionary spirit of the Sudanese people. Whilst, A State Of Passion, follows British-Palestinian surgeon, Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah in the aftermath of his return from Gaza, as he shares his enduring passion for Palestine and his determination to continue his humanitarian mission.
Together, the selections reflect the diversity, complexity and cinematic depth of the SWANA region. At a time when representation is a vital form of resistance, the programme invites audiences to encounter stories grounded in place but resonant across the world, where filmmakers channel memory, imagination, and defiance into deeply human acts of storytelling.
SAFAR Film Festival 2025 runs from 11-28 June with screenings in London, in 9 other cities across the UK and online with Aflamuna. It is organised by the Arab British Centre and is supported by the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery, the British Council, the Bagri Foundation, the Asfari Foundation, the City of London Corporation and Barjeel Art Foundation.
