The announced program includes 56 films (31 features and 25 shorts), produced by 14 different Arab countries, with co-production with 10 Western countries. The program includes the feature fiction films competition (12 films), feature documentary competition (8 films), short film competition (25 films), four films in the "Arabian Nights" program, four films in a special screening program "Films Worth Watching", two films in School screenings, in addition to two films in Gala screenings of opening and closing nights*.
MAFF founder and president, Mouhamad Keblawi, spoke about the selection, saying: “We are proud of this diverse program that brings to the Malmö audience almost every new and distinguished film in Arab cinema. We are also happy that the festival will finally take place physically after two editions that were massively affected by the pandemic. Malmö is returning again to be an annual meeting point, where Arab filmmakers meet their counterparts from Sweden and the Nordic countries, forming a unique window for cooperation between the two sides”.
The festival opens with "Daughters of Abdulrahman" by Jordanian director Zaid Abu Hamdan, and concludes with the screening of "Hamel El Lakab" by Egyptian director Hisham Fathy.
The full line-up of the 12th Malmö Arab Film Festival:
Opening Film
Daughters of Abdulrahman by Zaid Abu Hamdan (Jordan, Egypt, USA, Qatar)
Feature Fiction Film Competition:
Abo Saddam by Nadine Khan (Egypt)
The Alleys by Bassel Ghandour (Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar)
Costa Brava, Lebanon by Mounia Akl (Lebanon, France, Spain, Norway, Denmark, Sweden)
Farha by Darin J. Sallam (Darin J. Sallam)
Life Suits Me Well by Al Hadi Ulad Mohand (Morocco, France)
Junoon by Maan B.Yaser B. (Saudi Arabia, United States)
Our River.. Our Sky by Maysoon Pachachi (Iraq, UK, France, Germany, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar)
A Second Life by Anis Lassoued (Tunisia)
Souad by Ayten Amin (Egypt, Tunisia, Germany)
Soula by Salah Issaad (Algeria, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia)
The Stranger by Ameer Fakher Eldin (Syria, Germany, Palestine, Qatar)
Streams by Mehdi Hmili (Tunisia, Luxembourg, France)
Feature Documentary Competition
The Blue Inmates by Zeina Daccache (Lebanon)
Captains of Zaatari by Ali El Arabi (Egypt, USA)
Diary of Gabrielle Street by Rashid Masharawi (Palestine)
Fiasco by Nicolas Khoury (Lebanon, Netherlands)
From Cairo by Hala Galal (Egypt)
Halal Cinema by Amine Boukhris (Tunisia, Qatar)
Suspended Wives by Merieme Addou (Morocco, France, Qatar)
Were it not for Metro by Georges Hachem (Lebanon)
Short Film Competition
An Algerian Game by Amel Blidi (Algeria)
And Then They Burn the Sea by Majid Al-Remaihi (Qatar)
Arnoos by Samer Battikhi (Jordan)
Ashes by Mustapha Farmati (Morocco)
By The Sea by Wisam Al Jafari (Palestine)
Cairo-Berlin by Ahmed Abd El Salam (Egypt, UK)
Chitana by Amel Guellaty (Tunisia, Qatar, Norway)
Diyar Hisma by Fahd Fayz (Saudi Arabia)
Inside Happy Faces by Omar Al Halwany (Egypt)
Jmar by Samy Sidali (France)
Khadiga by Morad Mostafa (Egypt)
Last Day of Sun by Kays Mejri (Tunisia)
Lovesick In by Said Zagha (Palestine)
Mariam by Reem Jubran (USA)
The Mission by Mohammad Khalil Al-Dabbas (Jordan)
Night by Ahmed Saleh (Germany, Qatar, Palestine, Jordan)
Strangers after midnight by Kinda Youssef (France)
Struck by Sarah Kaskas (Lebanon)
Tender Threads by Ouijdane Khallid (Morocco)
Then Came Dark by Marie-Rose Osta (Lebanon)
Touchline by Mohammed Saffouri (Jordan, USA)
Virtual Voice by Suzannah Mirghani (Sudan, Qatar)
Warsha by Dania Bdeir (France, Lebanon)
Whisper Down the Lane by Raghad Albarqi (Saudi Arabia)
Who Games Last.. by Hassen Marzougui (Tunisia)
Arabian Nights
2 Talaat Harb by Magdi Ahmed Ali (Egypt)
Bara El Manhag by Amr Salama (Egypt)
Quareer by Norah Almowald, Ragheed AlNahdi, Ruba Khafagy, Noor ELamir, Fatimah Alhazmi (Saudi Arabia)
Today is a Wonderful Day by Neveen Shalaby (Egypt)
Films Worth Watching
Beirut: Eye of the Storm by Mai Masry (Lebanon, France)
Communion by Nejib Belkadhi (Tunisia)
I'll Go to Hell by Ismahane Lahmar (Tunisia)
On The Fence by Nesrine Lotfy Elzayat (Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, UK)
School Screenings
Bara El Manhag by Amr Salama (Egypt)
Champions by Manuel Calvo (Saudi Arabia, Spain)
Closing Film
Hamel El Lakab by Hisham Fathy (Egypt, Saudi Arabia)
