This year, we are doing something we have never done before: we are opening the Arab Film Festival with a documentary film, Life is Beautiful: A Letter to Gaza by Mohamed Jabaly.
The 28th Arab Film Festival opens on Thursday October 24th at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Each year our opening night attracts the largest crowd for an Arab film in the country, as no major U.S. film festival has ever opened with one.
Palestinian-American Filmmaker Cherien Dabis is this year’s Jury Chair (more about the jury here).
In these unprecedented times, we are opening the 2024 Arab Film Festival with Life is Beautiful: A Letter to Gaza, a documentary film that will touch your heart and remind you of all that’s good, and also what’s painful and awful, in the world.
The evening will include special performances by Palestinian artist Llunr and Palestinian rapper MC Abdul.
10 years ago, Palestinian filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly took a trip to Norway to show his documentary film. He was only supposed to stay a month. When the borders in Gaza were suddenly closed, he found himself stranded in the northern country, unable to return home.
The Norwegian government considered him stateless, not recognizing his Palestinian passport, and would not grant him a work permit, leaving him in a state of uncertainty and away from his friends and family back home.
This touching and understated yet powerful film captures Mohamed’s experience, stuck in snow-covered Norway while receiving messages and heavy news from his family in Gaza.
Watching the film, as time passes and hope alternates with fear, we all as audience find ourselves holding our breath, feeling alongside Mohamed as the filmmaker is torn between the warmth of new friends and his heartbreaking longing for home.
The film is also a powerful reminder of the decades of suffering Palestinians have endured, and continue to suffer under threat of genocide. Life is Beautiful: A Letter to Gaza is the first of a series of films at this year’s festival that will amplify Palestinian voices and experiences. We will announce more titles in the upcoming weeks.
Life is Beautiful: A Letter to Gaza is distributed by Watermelon Pictures whose “mission is to shift culture on a large scale by bringing Palestinian cinema, and other untold stories, to broad audiences in a way that entertains, inspires, and activates audiences.”
Alana Hadid the influential activist, creator and creative director for Watermelon Pictures, will join us in person in San Francisco for opening night.
Alana is recognized for her unwavering commitment to creating a more equitable and inclusive world, starting with a liberated Palestine, and we cannot wait to welcome her at the 28th Arab Film Festival.
The 28th Arab Film Festival will run from Thursday October 24th through Sunday November 3rd in the San Francisco Bay Area and online.
Opening night tickets are available now, as are the tickets for all screenings during the festival. Browse the full schedule.
You can also buy a festival pass.
Special Performances
Opening night is co-presented by the Middle East Children’s Alliance and Empire. The evening will include special performances by Palestinian artist Llunr and Palestinian rapper MC Abdul.
Llunr
Amassing over 50 million streams on lead records, emerging global pop act Llunr delivered his debut album “Dual Reality”. Multiple singles, including the hit Rocketship, reached viral top charts in over 15 countries. His soul-baring lyrics and dreamy melodies, accompanied by his own impeccable production creates the perfect dose of laid back, feel-good pop songs while exploring some more haunting, emotional, raw, and introspective themes in the second half, reflecting his dual reality.
MC Abdul
16-year-old rapper from Gaza, MC Abdul, follows a rich Rap tradition of speaking up for the oppressed and taking people to the front lines of struggle and injustice. “We wanted to show the world what is going on in Gaza right now. I rapped in front of the rubble to inspire.” Abdul has done just that. His freestyle videos achieved over 100 million views, showing the pain that his community has endured for generations. Fat Joe, Chance the Rapper, Bella Hadid, and many more have praised Abdul’s courage, skill, and substance. His debut EP will arrive via EMPIRE. Using art, MC Abdul stands on the front lines of change. This brave 16-year-old is a peace-seeking warrior with words.
Join us for Opening Night of Thursday October 24th
Get your Opening Night ticket or film festival pass to join us for an exclusive evening: watch a powerful and moving film, meet new and old friends, celebrate Arab culture, and be part of the community of filmmakers and film lovers who yearly gather in the Bay Area for the largest Arab Film Festival in North America.
Read more about Life is Beautiful: A Letter to Gaza on our blog.
Here’s the full film festival schedule.
The Arab Film Festival is the biggest annual celebration of the best of Arab Cinema – since 1996.
The festival’s mission is to present the best of contemporary films that illuminate the richness of Arab culture through authentic narratives and images, providing insight into the beauty and complexity of the Arab world.
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