Welcome from the Arab British Centre
It’s that time of year again… SAFAR Film Festival is back from 11-28 June. This year feels extra special because we’re marking our tenth edition.
What started as a biennial event in one venue dedicated to popular Arab cinema, has grown to become the UK’s largest Arab Film Festival, bringing over 170 rarely-screened films to 10 cities in our tenure so far. We’ve grown a lot since 2012, but what remains unchanged is the core of SAFAR: a commitment to platforming, celebrating, and preserving the legacy of independent Arab Cinema.
Cinema that is more powerful, and more needed than ever – from films that shine a stark light on urgent realities and harrowing events, as well as key cultural and political moments and movements; to those that offer us comedic relief, are fantastic and surreal, romantic and joyful, which speak to the essence of what it is to be human – to show that the Arab world is so much more than the sum of its colonial injustices and imposed external framing.
Filmmakers pave the way in sharing new perspectives and portals into life in the region, connecting people around the world through their art in defiance of borders, bias and censorship. This year’s programme features a broad array of Q&As, masterclasses and workshops, giving audiences the opportunity to engage with leading filmmaking talent, from new generations sharing their debut features to some of cinema’s most enduring screen legends.
Marking our tenth edition and honouring SAFAR’s beginnings as a festival dedicated to popular Arab cinema, there’ll be a focus on cinematic classics that illuminate the historical and cultural contexts of the Arab world. We’re also proud to present our first live cine-concert, re-examining and reclaiming colonial archival footage through sound.
SAFAR would be nothing without our community; our curious and passionate audience who activate the films with their questions, experiences, and critical engagement. We can’t wait to see you in the cinemas for this very special year.
A Note on Palestinian Cultural Censorship
Never has it been more important for people to come together and listen to Palestinian voices. As a champion for Arab culture in the UK, our goal is to take up space in institutions, cinemas and arts centres and, through collaboration and dialogue, empower them to seek out, host and support more artists and culture from the Arab world. We continue to do this in the face of censorship and silencing affecting the cultural industries in the UK.
We are in regular conversation with our partners about how we can all honour our commitments to freedom of expression, be held accountable to our values and support one another where we can. As an organisation rooted in cultural diplomacy and dialogue, we believe that in the face of challenges, by remaining at the table and continuing to hold space, we can best achieve our goals to bring Arab film to the widest audience possible.
