On June 30th 2024, The Arab Film Club returned to the Southbank Centre for a special event for Refugee Week around the theme, 'Home'. The screening was followed by a Q&A hosted by curator Sarah Agha with the filmmakers in person. This bonus episode is a recording of the Q&A which took place on stage.   The programme... Al Sit by Suzannah Mirghani (Sudan, 20 minutes) "In a cotton-farming village in Sudan, 15 year old Nafisa has a crush on Babiker but her parents have arranged her...

Episode 5: Farah Nabulsi on 'The Teacher' Farah Nabulsi is a multi award winning Palestinian British filmmaker and human rights advocate. Her short 'The Present' won a BAFTA Award for Best British Short Film and an Academy Award Nomination for Best Live Action Short at the Oscars (2021). It is available to watch now on Netflix.Farah’s most recent work 'The Teacher' had its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival 2023 and marks her feature length directorial debut.  Logline: “A...

Episode 4 : Annemarie Jacir on 'Wajib'. Annemarie has written, directed and produced over sixteen films with festival premieres at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Locarno and Toronto. All three of her features were Palestine’s Oscar entries.  She is the founder of the production company Philistine Films and the co-founder of the artist-run space Dar Jacir for Art & Research in her hometown of Bethlehem.   The story of 'Wajib' follows an estranged father and son who must come together to hand...

Episode 3: Ameen Nayfeh on '200 Metres'. Ameen Nayfeh is a Palestinian filmmaker from Tulkarem who wrote and directed 200 Metres, based on his experiences growing up in the occupied West Bank. Logline: “The Israeli separation wall sits between Mustafa and his family. Denied entry on a technicality, Mustafa will stop at nothing to reach his injured son on the other side.” The film starring Ali Suleiman premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2020 and has won multiple awards...

Episode 2: Lina Soualem on 'Bye Bye Tiberias'. Lina is an actress and filmmaker of Palestinian and Algerian heritage, born and raised in Paris. Through intimate storytelling, the film explores the life, love and losses of Lina's mother - the Palestinian actress and star of HBO's 'Succession' - Hiam Abbas. Logline: “Years after leaving her Palestinian village, Hiam returns home in this intimate documentary about four generations of women and their shared legacy of separation.” Bye Bye Tiberias...

Episode 1 : Darin J. Sallam on 'Farha' Darin wrote and directed Farha  - a feature film depicting how one girl’s life was torn apart by the Nakba. Nakba is Arabic for Catastrophe and refers to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians in 1948. In the film we meet a Palestinian father in 1948 who hides his 14-year-old daughter inside a locked pantry and promises to return. Locked inside for days, Farha watches the Nakba unfold through a small crack in the door. The film had it’s...

Series One : Palestinian Cinema. Launches 1st May. Music by Mina Samy.