SAFAR Film Festival, the UK’s leading platform for independent Arab cinema, returns from 11-28 June 2025 for its landmark 10th edition.
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.
SAFAR returns to The Ultimate Picture Palace with Mo Harawe’s award-winning debut film, The Village Next To Paradise, a skillful portrait of the life, longing, and resilience of a family in a picturesque coastal village in Somalia. Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo, meanwhile, is a moving reflection on masculinity, resilience, and friendship, set in the hostile underbelly of Cairo.
SAFAR also presents two new documentaries exploring life in Sudan and Palestine. Sudan, Remember Us, which 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.
THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE
Sunday 15 June 5.30pm
Directed by Mo Harawe | Somalia | 2024 | 2h 13m | Somali w/ English subtitles
In a Somali coastal village, a father makes desperate choices to support his family, while his sister seeks freedom and his son is sent away for a better future. Mo Harawe’s powerful debut about love, sacrifice, and survival kicks off our collaboration with this year’s SAFAR Film Festival.
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SEEKING HAVEN FOR MR. RAMBO
Tuesday 17 June 8.30pm
Directed by Khaled Mansour | Egypt/Saudi Arabia | 2024 | 1h 50m | Arabic w/ English subtitles
Facing eviction in Cairo, Hassan and his dog Rambo are thrust into danger after a violent incident. Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo is a powerful debut about survival, loyalty, and the search for dignity in a harsh, shifting world.
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A STATE OF PASSION + DIRECTOR Q&A
Wednesday 25 June 6pm
Directed by Carol Mansour & Muna Khalidi | Palestine/Jordan | 2024 | 1h 30m | Arabic w/ English subtitles
After 43 harrowing days in Gaza’s hospitals, surgeon Ghassan Abu Sittah becomes a symbol of Palestinian resistance. This documentary follows his and his family’s journey and steadfast commitment to a homeland under siege. Screening plus Q&A with the film’s director’s Carol Mansour & Muna Khalidi.
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SUDAN, REMEMBER US
Saturday 28 June 4pm
Director Hind Meddeb | France/Tunisia/Qatar | 2024 | 1h 16m | Arabic w/ English subtitles
Through the eyes of four young activists, this powerful documentary traces Sudan’s 2019 revolution to its 2023 civil war – capturing a generation’s fight for freedom and hope in the face of global indifference. Our final screening of this year’s instalment of SAFAR Film Festival 2025.
Book ticketsGet your tickets now and view the full programme on www.safarfilmfestival.co.uk
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.
