The SAFAR Film Festival is the largest festival in the UK dedicated to cinema from the Arab world. Founded in 2012, SAFAR showcases the broad spectrum of film from the region by working with curators on themed programmes and inviting filmmakers for live Q&As and events.
The 2024 edition brings together over 50 films from 15 countries including new releases, classics, family friendly screenings, archive films, special events and more. This year’s festival theme aims to highlight a multitude of daily realities being faced across the Arab world and reflect on how small hopes and bigger dreams co-exist within such contexts.
The Ultimate Picture Palace is delighted to be taking part in the ninth edition of the festival, which runs nationally from 18-30 June 2024 with screenings in London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Hull, Liverpool, Manchester, and Plymouth.
Want to attend an event but finances are tight? SAFAR has a limited number of free tickets available for those on low or no incomes. Please contact: [email protected] to access our ticket scheme.
Full listings for our screenings are as follows…
BYE BYE TIBERIAS
Wednesday 19th June, 6.30pm
Directed by Lina Soualem | Palestine | 2023 | 1h 22m | Arabic w/ English subtitles
In her early twenties, Hiam Abbass left her native Palestinian village to follow her dream of becoming an actress in Europe. Thirty years later, her filmmaker daughter Lina returns with her to the village and questions for the first time her mother’s choices. Set between past and present, this intimate documentary pieces together images of today, family footage, and historical archives to portray four generations of women who keep their story alive through the strength of their bonds. Palestine’s submission to the Academy Awards in 2024.
Click here to purchase tickets for Bye Bye Tiberias
WEDDING IN GALILEE
Sunday 23rd June, 3pm
Directed by Michel Khleifi | Palestine | 1987 | 1h 40m | Arabic w/ English subtitles
A lyrical, passionate tale of a wedding that takes place in an occupied village, and the contemporary tensions, contradictions and hostilities that surround it. Born in Nazareth in 1950, Michel Khleifi is considered the founder of contemporary Palestinian cinema and one of its most original voices. Filmed in 1987, this is the first feature film entirely shot in Palestine by a Palestinian director, which premiered at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and went on to win the International Critics Prize.
Click here to purchase tickets for Wedding In Galilee
GOODBYE JULIA + FOOD AND LIVE MUSIC
Tuesday 25th June, 8pm
Directed by Mohamed Kordofani | Sudan | 2023 | 2h | Arabic w/ English subtitles
In Khartoum, just before the secession of South Sudan, a singer from the north seeks redemption for causing the death of a southern man. Unable to confess her transgressions, she adjusts to a new status quo, unaware that the country’s turmoil may put her face to face with her past. Mohamed Kordofani’s intelligent debut premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival where it became the first Sudanese film to participate in the history of the festival. It went on to win the festival’s Freedom Prize and was later Sudan’s official submission to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.
Click here to purchase tickets for Goodbye Julia
INSHALLAH A BOY + Q&A
Thursday 27th June, 6pm
Directed by Amjad Al Rasheed | Jordan | 2023 | 1h 53m | Arabic w/ English subtitles
After the sudden death of her husband, working mother Nawal has to fight for her inheritance in order to save her daughter and home in a society where having a son would be a game changer. Amjad Al Rasheed’s powerful feature debut is a story about survival, hope and the lengths women are forced to go to in the face of oppressive patriarchal structures. This screening will be followed by an in-person Q&A with lead actor Mouna Hawa.
Click here to purchase tickets for Inshallah A Boy
SAFAR is supported by the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery, the British Council, the Bagri Foundation and the Barjeel Art Foundation.
