NYC Arab Film Calendar
Screenings by, about and related to the Arab World in the New York City area - including non-Arab stories written by, directed by or starring Arab talent.
Calle Malaga
An aging Spanish woman in Tangier resists her daughter's decision to sell her home. Determined to stay, she does everything she can to keep her home and reclaim the belongings of a lifetime. Along the way, she rediscovers love and desire.
Milk & Honey Gathering: Community Iftar (with screening of Al-Mummia)
A Ramadan gathering with a family style meal, discussions, live music and a screening of Al-Mummia (The Mummy or The Night of Counting the Years) from 1969.
Palestine ‘36 (+ Q&A’s)
In 1936, as the British Empire tightens its grip on Palestine, Yusuf is caught between his village home and his work in Jerusalem. Amidst an anti-colonial revolt, and Jewish refugees fleeing persecution from Europe, all sides converge in a decisive moment for the entire region.
Leila and the Wolves
Leila, a Lebanese student, time travels to challenge colonial history. She explores 80 years from the British Mandate to the Civil War, uncovering Palestinian and Lebanese women's roles.
Haifa
Haifa, nicknamed for the city he longs for, comes and goes in a Palestinian refugee camp where, all around him, the residents react in differing ways to the prospect of peace.
Palestine ‘36 (+ Q&A)
In 1936, as the British Empire tightens its grip on Palestine, Yusuf is caught between his village home and his work in Jerusalem. Amidst an anti-colonial revolt, and Jewish refugees fleeing persecution from Europe, all sides converge in a decisive moment for the entire region.
Screwdriver
Released after serving a 15-year sentence for assassinating the Israeli settler who killed his best friend, a former Palestinian basketball hero is haunted by memories in a world he scarcely recognizes.
Haifa
Haifa, nicknamed for the city he longs for, comes and goes in a Palestinian refugee camp where, all around him, the residents react in differing ways to the prospect of peace.
To a Land Unknown
Two Palestinian cousins are saving to pay for fake passports to get out of Athens. But when one loses their hard-earned cash to his dangerous drug addiction, the other hatches an extreme plan.
Bakri Family Shorts Program
This collection of representative shorts featuring the Bakri family—including one in which Ziad Bakri directs his father and brother—illuminates facets of everyday Palestinian life.
Wajib
When a divorced father living in Nazareth reunites with his son, an architect in Rome, to observe Palestinian custom ahead of his daughter’s wedding, tense details of their relationship come to a head.
Alam
Hoping to impress a beautiful new arrival, a Palestinian high school student agrees to take part in a mysterious operation to peacefully disrupt local celebrations on the eve of Israel’s Independence Day.
The Time That Remains
Inspired by his father’s diaries, his mother’s letters, and his own recollections, Elia Suleiman recounts his family’s saga among the Arab community in Israel from 1948 to the present with gentle humor.
Screwdriver
Released after serving a 15-year sentence for assassinating the Israeli settler who killed his best friend, a former Palestinian basketball hero is haunted by memories in a world he scarcely recognizes.
All That's Left of You (+ Q&A)
A Palestinian teenager gets swept into a protest in the Occupied West Bank and experiences a moment of violence that rocks his family, in a film spanning the seven-decade legacy that led to that moment.
Alam
Hoping to impress a beautiful new arrival, a Palestinian high school student agrees to take part in a mysterious operation to peacefully disrupt local celebrations on the eve of Israel’s Independence Day.
The Blue Caftan
After married couple Halim and Mina hire a new apprentice to help them keep up with customer demand in their caftan shop, Mina gradually realizes how much her husband is moved by the young man’s presence.
Wajib
When a divorced father living in Nazareth reunites with his son, an architect in Rome, to observe Palestinian custom ahead of his daughter’s wedding, tense details of their relationship come to a head.
Omar
Arrested after the killing of an Israeli soldier and tricked into an admission of guilt by association, a young Palestinian baker agrees to work as an informant.
The Blue Caftan
After married couple Halim and Mina hire a new apprentice to help them keep up with customer demand in their caftan shop, Mina gradually realizes how much her husband is moved by the young man’s presence.
To a Land Unknown
Two Palestinian cousins are saving to pay for fake passports to get out of Athens. But when one loses their hard-earned cash to his dangerous drug addiction, the other hatches an extreme plan.
The Time That Remains
Inspired by his father’s diaries, his mother’s letters, and his own recollections, Elia Suleiman recounts his family’s saga among the Arab community in Israel from 1948 to the present with gentle humor.
Omar
Arrested after the killing of an Israeli soldier and tricked into an admission of guilt by association, a young Palestinian baker agrees to work as an informant.
Palestine ‘36
In 1936, as the British Empire tightens its grip on Palestine, Yusuf is caught between his village home and his work in Jerusalem. Amidst an anti-colonial revolt, and Jewish refugees fleeing persecution from Europe, all sides converge in a decisive moment for the entire region.
Four Daughters
Olfa, a Tunisian mother, faces her older daughters' disappearance as actresses help recreate their story, blending reality and drama to explore the family's journey between light and darkness.
Ziyara
Celebrated filmmaker Simone Bitton embarks on a personal road trip across Morocco, tracing the remnants of the country’s once-thriving Jewish community.
Other Resources for Arab Film in NYC & Online
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A NY-based arts collective specializing in Middle Eastern film programming, ArteEast has become a leading organization amplifying the arts related to the South West Asia North Africa (SWANA) region and its diaspora engaging with New York, U.S. and international audiences and arts communities.
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The Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI) is the first organization of its kind outside the Arab world, a unique ecosystem to find, nurture and develop Arab film and media projects.
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The first and only museum of its kind in the United States devoted to recording the Arab American experience. It serves as a touchstone that connects communities to Arab American culture and experiences. Since opening in 2005, AANM’s goal has been to document, preserve and present the history, culture and contributions of Arab Americans.
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A series of lesser known, or just lesser shown, films from the Arab world, selected to challenge and excite curious cinephiles, expand their knowledge of international cinema and provide a greater understanding of Arab arts and culture.
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A film series at Cobble Hill Cinemas which raises money for Palestinian families from all ticket sales.
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A NYC-based collective screening films from the Arab world and fundraising for Gaza.
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ANA Contemporary Arab Cinema is an annual film series that highlights award-winning films by today’s best Arab directors.
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New York City’s first Arab and Arab American art and culture festival, celebrating the song, dance, fashion, performance, ideas, and cuisine that have made Arab heritage part of American heritage.
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A series highlighting MENASA (Middle East, North African, and South Asian) stories that showcase the humor, heartbreak, nuance, and insight that films from Muslim cultures have brought to cinema.
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A free platform streaming the best independent films from the Arab region.
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The independent streaming service and curatorial platform for South-West Asian and North African (SWANA) film and video.
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Watermelon+ is a streaming platform amplifying bold voices from marginalized and underrepresented communities. From award-winning documentaries and festival favorites to unforgettable narratives and hidden gems, Watermelon+ delivers powerful, entertaining stories on our own terms. Get early access to new releases and explore the most definitive collection of Palestinian cinema ever assembled.
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A free film archive of solidarity and struggle.
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PFI is a voluntary and independent Palestinian non-profit organization established in 2019. The PFI was born from a shared desire among active Palestinian-identified film professionals to create an inclusive body with the mission of developing, promoting, and preserving Palestine’s cinema, and to empower the film industry in Palestine and for Palestinians around the world.
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Palestine Film Index is a growing list of films from and about Palestine and the Palestinian struggle for liberation, made by Palestinians and those in solidarity with them.
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A film production and distribution company which aims to entertain audiences and enrich the cultural landscape by promoting stories that reflect the perspectives and experiences of Palestinians as well as other marginalized groups around the world.
Is there a NYC Arab film event missing from this calendar? Submit your event here.