2024 FESTIVAL

FILM GUIDE

A Beautiful Excuse For A Deadly Sin

A Beautiful Excuse For A Deadly Sin

2023 | 16mins | Bahrain | Arabic
A young man tries to escalate a horse up the narrow stairs of the building to live with him in […]
A Dog, A Stone

A Dog, A Stone

2023 | 13mins | Tunisia | Arabic
Mariem, a sex worker, tries to reach Dali. Her unrest grows when she fears he will break the promise to […]
Ahmed

Ahmed

2023 | 8mins | Canada | Arabic, English
Two immigrant parents are invited to talk about their journey from their home countries.
All Roads Lead to More

All Roads Lead to More

2023 | 78mins | Germany | Arabic, German
To cope with the daily trauma of a lost home, Syrian filmmaker Afraa Batous is filming her friends as they […]
And If Not Now, When?

And If Not Now, When?

2022 | 28mins | Belgium, Morocco | Arabic, French
This essay documentary makes an intimate journey into the world of Paulette, one of the last remaining Jews in Marrakech […]
Anxiety

Anxiety

2024 | 22mins | Germany | German
A young refugee struggles with learning the German language while being existentially at the mercy of the bureaucratic system.
Ayam Zaman (The Old Days)

Ayam Zaman (The Old Days)

2023 | 7mins | Canada | Arabic, English
Hadi finds himself an unexpected guest at Adam’s engagement party decades since they last spoke, and at last come face-to-face […]
Beneath a Mother’s Feet

Beneath a Mother’s Feet

2023 | 15mins | United Kingdom, Morocco | Arabic
A single mother in Morocco, trapped in a mundane existence, confronts her dreams and fears, leading to the agonising decision […]
Better

Better

2023 | 92mins | France, Morocco | English
Between 2009 and 2011, I filmed and edited Nassim Lachhab’s very first skateboarding videos in Rabat, Morocco. In 2020, after […]
Bottles

Bottles

2024 | 18mins | Morocco, Italy | Arabic
Said, a 13 year old boy in the old Medina of Rabat, has a side job collecting empty beer bottles […]
Conditional Desire

Conditional Desire

2023 | 15mins | Tunisia | Arabic
In a conformist society, Ahmed and Salma, marry for convenience to pursue their passions with secret lovers.
Edris

Edris

2023 | 17mins | Egypt | Arabic, Tigrinya
A 17-year-old Eritrean boy fled the war in his country to settle in Egypt, where he dreams to overcome the […]
First Sky

First Sky

2023 | 19mins | Egypt | Arabic
A young skater from Alexandria receives a Super 8 camera from his older brother who has recently emigrated. Over the […]
Goodbye Julia

Goodbye Julia

2023 | 116mins | Sudan | Arabic
Wracked by guilt after covering up a murder, Mona — a northern Sudanese retired singer in a tense marriage — […]
Hanina/Homesick

Hanina/Homesick

2023 | 8mins | Egypt, United States | Arabic
A young girl flies back in time to her drowned homeland, guided by the songs and stories of her community
I Never Promised You A Jasmine Garden

I Never Promised You A Jasmine Garden

2023 | 20mins | Canada | Arabic, English
Tara, a queer Palestinian woman in her late 20s, attempts to suppress her internal emotional turbulence during a phone call […]
Light upon Light

Light upon Light

2022 | 78mins | Egypt | Arabic, English
A philosophical field trip from Cairo, along the Nile and into the desert in search for what light means as […]
Locus Cordis

Locus Cordis

2023 | 19mins | Syria | Arabic, English
Occupied by Israel in 1967, the Syrian Golan has a military border running through it, which families “cross” by shouting […]
Mandoob

Mandoob

2023 | 110mins | Saudi Arabia | Arabic
A mentally fragile man working as a night courier gets caught up in an illegal alcohol ring.
No Key

No Key

2023 | 22mins | Morocco | Arabic
Two young thieves find a sealed jewelry box that becomes the envy of rival gangs.
On the Sidelines

On the Sidelines

2023 | 20mins | France | Arabic, French
Amra recently left her family to make her professional football debut. But her grandparents who raised her aren’t young anymore, […]
Six Feet Over

Six Feet Over

2023 | 96mins | France, Algeria | Arabic, French
Son of a former Algerian diplomat Sofiane lived his entire life to this point abroad. Now a student in Lyon, […]
Six Months

Six Months

2023 | 2mins | Canada | English
“Six Months” is a critique of alcohol within a North American cultural context, through societal pressure and mass marketing.
Sixty Egyptian Pounds

Sixty Egyptian Pounds

2023 | 20mins | Egypt | Arabic
A struggling family is attempting to deal with the consequences of a horrible catastrophe.
Somewhere, but not here

Somewhere, but not here

2022 | 23mins | Canada | Arabic, English, French
Miles away, I watch the slow erasing of my home. Scattered between two places, I am no longer anywhere.
Suspended Dawn

Suspended Dawn

2023 | 19mins | Palestine | Arabic
Suspended Dawn is a poetic archeological excavation of Egypt’s golden age, the video essay is divided into chapters featuring digital […]
Tadur

Tadur

2024 | 50mins | Lebanon | Arabic
A young farmer on the outskirts of a mountain village wastes away with gangsters and prostitutes who lurk in the […]
Take My Breath

Take My Breath

2023 | 95mins | Tunisia | Arabic
When Shams’ intersex identity is exposed, the young seamstress’ tranquil life unravels.
The Factory

The Factory

2023 | 46mins | Syria | Arabic
A feature documentary film that deals with a group of events experienced by Captain Maher, a firefighter who, through a […]
The Last Queen

The Last Queen

2023 | 110mins | Algeria | Arabic
Insipired in the legendary Princess Zaphira, wife of the last King of Algiers Salim Toumi, and his fight to defend […]
The Old Oak

The Old Oak

2023 | 113mins | Belgium, France, United Kingdom | Arabic, Dutch, English
A pub landlord in a previously thriving mining community struggles to hold onto his pub. Meanwhile, tensions rise in the […]
The Poem We Sang

The Poem We Sang

2024 | 20mins | Canada, Jordan, Palestine | Arabic
The Poem We Sang is a 20-minute, colour and black and white, experimental documentary that meditates on love and longing […]
The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry

The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry

2023 | 21mins | Jordan | Arabic, English, German
Wandering through desolate bars, hotels, and offices, Ida attempts to feel Ismail’s presence one last time and to say goodbye.
The Soil and the Sea

The Soil and the Sea

2023 | 74mins | Lebanon | Arabic
In Lebanon there are more than 100 untouched mass graves dating back from the Civil War, and thousands of families […]
The Tedious Tour of M

The Tedious Tour of M

2023 | 76mins | Egypt | Arabic
A peanuts street vendor who turned into one of the stars of the modern history of Egyptian literature in the […]
VHS Tape Replaced

VHS Tape Replaced

2023 | 17mins | Saudi Arabia, Canada | Arabic
Set in 1987, a young black Saudi man attempts to impress a girl by mimicking the music video of Crown, […]
Valley of Exile

Valley of Exile

2023 | 107mins | Canada | Arabic
Set in the early years of the Syrian war, Valley of Exile chronicles the journey of Rima and Nour, two […]
Water Religion

Water Religion

2023 | 29mins | Oman | Arabic, English
Water Religion is a short narrative film tells the story of Issa, a blind tanager who has dream to sail […]
What Else Grows On The Palm Of Your Hand?

What Else Grows On The Palm Of Your Hand?

2023 | 16mins | Belgium, Morocco | Arabic
The routines of two women fuse together as their similar gestures get repeated over time. Their hands intersect through their […]
À toi Jeddi

À toi Jeddi

2024 | 61mins | Canada | French
After discovering the memoirs of her Libyan grandfather, Sara decides to go and discover her paternal origins.