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.
Yalla Parkour (+ Q&A)
In her relentless pursuit of a memory that reinforces her sense of belonging, Areeb crosses paths with Ahmed, a parkour athlete in Gaza, sparking a journey where conflicting aspirations intersect. Nostalgia meets with ambition, and the weight of a confined past meets with an unpredictable future.
The Wanted 18
Palestinians in Beit Sahour start a local dairy farm, hiding a herd of 18 cows from Israeli security forces when the dairy collective was deemed a threat to Israeli national security.
Foreign Body
In the turbulent aftermath of the Tunisian Jasmine Revolution, a young undocumented woman named Samia flees her homeland for France, haunted by the fear of being chased by her radicalized brother.
Yalla Parkour (+ Q&A)
In her relentless pursuit of a memory that reinforces her sense of belonging, Areeb crosses paths with Ahmed, a parkour athlete in Gaza, sparking a journey where conflicting aspirations intersect. Nostalgia meets with ambition, and the weight of a confined past meets with an unpredictable future.
Happy Holidays
In Haifa, four stories intertwine as members of a close-knit Arab family perform their dutiful roles while each harboring a secret that exposes both their true desires and worst fears.
Abo Zaabal 89
Filmmaker Bassam Mortada explores the trauma and alienation resulting from his father's arrest and torture in Egypt's notorious Abo Zaabal prison in 1989.
Yalla Parkour (+ Q&A)
In her relentless pursuit of a memory that reinforces her sense of belonging, Areeb crosses paths with Ahmed, a parkour athlete in Gaza, sparking a journey where conflicting aspirations intersect. Nostalgia meets with ambition, and the weight of a confined past meets with an unpredictable future.
No Other Land
This documentary follows Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham in their multi-year effort to document the forced displacement of the community of Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank.
Brides
Teenage best friends Doe and Muna are heading off on what seems like the trip of a lifetime. But this isn’t a holiday. The girls are bound for Istanbul, planning to cross into Syria to begin a new life they believe holds purpose and meaning…
Sins of the Flesh
An erotic and psychological drama by controversial Egyptian filmmaker Khaled El Hagar, set against the 2011 revolution.
We Never Imagined All the Cameras Would be Useless
Films from the Gaza Biennale by Emad Badwan and Yahya Alsholy.
Cairo Conspiracy (Boy From Heaven)
Adam, a fisherman's son, is offered the ultimate privilege to study at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo. When the Grand Imam suddenly dies, Adam becomes a pawn in a ruthless power struggle between Eqypt's religious and political elites.
Mora Is Here
This powerful documentary, filmed between Morocco and France, uncovers the forgotten history of over 70,000 Moroccan laborers, primarily recruited by Félix Mora in the 1950s to fill the labor needs of the French coal mines.
The Ants (+ Q&A)
A Moroccan thriller exploring migration and survival at the Morocco–Spain.
Atropia
When an aspiring actress in a military role-playing facility falls in love with a soldier cast as an insurgent, their unsimulated emotions threaten to derail the performance.
Brides
Teenage best friends Doe and Muna are heading off on what seems like the trip of a lifetime. But this isn’t a holiday. The girls are bound for Istanbul, planning to cross into Syria to begin a new life they believe holds purpose and meaning…
Pan-African Legacies – Fanon & Malcolm X (+ Q&A)
Documentary works about Frantz Fanon and Malcolm X.
Fanon (+ Q&A)
This powerful biographical drama from director Jean-Claude Barny, focuses on the transformative years of Martiniquan psychiatrist and revolutionary Frantz Fanon in 1950s Algeria.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Based on true events, “The Voice of Hind Rajab” follows Red Crescent volunteers as they struggle to reach a six-year-old girl trapped under fire in Gaza.
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk
An intimate, first-hand perspective of life in Gaza, told through a series of video calls between filmmaker Sepideh Farsi and young Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona.
As I Open My Eyes
A few months before the revolution in Tunisia, 18 year-old Farah has a passion for life and sings in a political rock band. But her mother, knowing the dangers, wants her to pursue a career as a doctor.
Put Your Soul On Your Hand and Walk
An urgent, deeply personal documentary which unfolds through video calls between filmmaker Sepideh Farsi and 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist and poet Fatma Hassona.
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.
Other Resources for Arab Film in NYC & Online
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
ANA Contemporary Arab Cinema is an annual film series that highlights award-winning films by today’s best Arab directors.
-
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.
-
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.
-
A free platform streaming the best independent films from the Arab region.
-
The independent streaming service and curatorial platform for South-West Asian and North African (SWANA) film and video.
-
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.
-
A free film archive of solidarity and struggle.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.