The SAFAR Film Festival is the only festival in the UK dedicated to cinema from the Arab world. Founded in 2012, SAFAR offers a unique space for audiences to explore and celebrate the diversity of Arab cinema past, present, and future.
In 2022, SAFAR screens in cities across the UK and we’re pleased to welcome the festival to Manchester for the first time.
Curated by Rabih El-Khoury, this year’s theme, The Stories We Tell in Arab Cinema, invites you to go back to the very essence of filmmaking: storytelling. The film selection explores the devices used by Arab filmmakers to push cinematic boundaries, reclaim overlooked histories, and present new perspectives to audiences both at home and abroad. It sees controversial characters run amok and experimentations in form blend the traditional with the radical.
SAFAR is run by the Arab British Centre, a London-based charity that works to further understanding of the Arab world in the UK.
