NYC Arab Film Calendar
Films by, about and related to the Arab World & diaspora screening in the New York City area.
The Little Sister
Devout Muslim teenager Fatima (Cannes Best Actress winner Nadia Melliti) takes a journey of self-discovery amid her Algerian immigrant family in Paris in Hafsia Herzi’s queer coming-of-age story.
Promised Sky (+ Q&A’s)
The opening night film at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, Erige Sehiri’s bittersweet drama stars César Award nominee Aïssa Maïga as an Ivorian pastor living in Tunisia, forming a makeshift family with the young women who find refuge in her home.
![32 B [Short]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65b2a9fa003916018125a365/1780683316707-8CRH985VUM3GH8Z9OWV4/large_32_B-Clean-16x9-01.jpg)
32 B [Short]
A clueless single father is told his teen daughter needs a bra. His attempt at shopping for her first one turns painfully awkward.
![Found&Lost [Short]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65b2a9fa003916018125a365/1780683595735-3T09H8LMNHLBX2V5AVCK/large_Found_lost-Clean-16x9-01.jpg)
Found&Lost [Short]
Tamim, a Syrian father in Vienna, actually just wants to return a lost wallet to the club. But what begins as a well-intentioned act plunges him into a chaos of misunderstandings and moral conflicts.
All That's Left of You
This film follows a Palestinian teenager who gets swept into a protest in the Occupied West Bank and experiences a moment of violence that rocks his family. The film unfolds as his mother recounts the political and emotional threads that led to that fateful moment. Fundraiser screening for Go Project Hope.
Women Beyond Borders
A look at the lives and works of some of the women who have joined in the fight for their Palestinian homeland.
Unidentified
Award-winning writer-director Haifaa Al Mansour returns with a suspenseful crime thriller, following one woman's journey for justice when the body of a teenage girl is discovered in the desert
Short Film Screening (+ Q&A)
Featuring 5 short films which explore the threads of familial history that have been lost, unspoken or ignored.
My Father and Qaddafi
Jihan’s exploration of the disappearance of her father Mansur Rashid Kikhia sees politics not as a distant subject, but as a lived experience that penetrates into every human relationship.
Word Up presents Queer Cinema for Palestine
This 60-minute curated program brings together six powerful short films by queer, Palestinian, and allied artists — from historic Palestine, across the diaspora, and beyond.
Little Palestine (Diary of a Siege) (+ discussion)
A filmed diary of the daily life in the biggest Palestinian refugee camp – Yarmouk, in Damascus, Syria and its besieged inhabitants, who decided to face bombing, displacement and hunger with rallying, study, music, love and joy.
Bouchra (+ Q&A)
Bouchra, a 35-year-old Moroccan coyote in New York, documents her long-distance relationship with her mother in Casablanca, as they explore together the love, pain and secrets that unite them through calls and intimate conversations.
2 Lizards + Culturesport: Rotterdam 95 (+ Q&A)
A narrative film distilling eight-episode online series 2 Lizards, a cockeyed comic response to life in New York City in pandemic times starring, yes, two animated anthropomorphized lizards. Screening with Culturesport: Rotterdam 95, a web series by the creators’ collaborators.
Turtles Can Fly
The story of a group of young Kurdish children near the Turkey-Iraq border. They clean up mines and wait for the Saddam regime to fall. The first film shot in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
Under the Fig Trees
Among the trees, young women and men working the summer harvest develop new feelings, flirt, try to understand each other, find, and flee, deeper connections.
American Doctor
American Doctor is a vérité non-fiction film following three prominent American physicians—Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian—friends who couldn’t be more different but are bound by their shared oath to save lives.
American Doctor
American Doctor is a vérité non-fiction film following three prominent American physicians—Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian—friends who couldn’t be more different but are bound by their shared oath to save lives.
The Prince of Egypt
In this animated retelling of the Book of Exodus, Egyptian Prince Moses, upon discovering his roots as a Jewish slave, embarks on a quest to free his people from bondage. When his plea is denied by his brother Rameses, the new pharaoh, a series of horrific plagues strike Egypt.
![Theatre of Dreams [Short]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65b2a9fa003916018125a365/1780684162670-Z72T58W17IUABTH01Y6J/full_Theater-of-Dreams-clean-16x9-03.jpg)
Theatre of Dreams [Short]
Set during Qatar 2022, Theatre of Dreams follows the captain of Qatar’s first women’s football team as she reflects on courage, defiance, and the lasting personal cost of breaking cultural taboos.
![Mon Taxi [Short]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65b2a9fa003916018125a365/1780683950419-FKSMTIH8IUNPPPGY4VH0/large_Mon_Taxi-Clean-16x9-01-NEW.png)
Mon Taxi [Short]
For years, calling her father was the daily ritual for Moroccan filmmaker Meriem Sakrouhi. When he passed, her urge to stay connected remained. One day, she decides to call him.
Queens says No Pride in Genocide: A Film Screening Presented by Queer Cinema for Palestine
A screening of short films curated by Queer Cinema for Palestine
Found&Lost [Short]
Tamim, a Syrian father in Vienna, actually just wants to return a lost wallet to the club. But what begins as a well-intentioned act plunges him into a chaos of misunderstandings and moral conflicts.
How to Feed a Dictator
Five private chefs to fearsome dictators all over the world share their experiences of the kitchens and circumstances that led them to these sometimes dangerous and often morally compromising workplaces.
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.