The BFI London Film Festival runs from 4 to 15 October 2023 at venues in London, around the UK and on BFI Player. We wanted to make your life easier, so below you’ll find the full listings of all Arab films screening this year.
Click on the image or film title to see full film information, times and to book.
After years in Sweden, Malik finally moves back to Iraq, but he can’t shake the feeling of being an outsider.
[Director Jahfar Muataz]
6 October, 18:00 at BFI, screening as part of No Place Called Home Shorts Programme
Egyptian director Tewfik Saleh’s uncompromising film was banned for decades and it still has the power to unsettle audiences. We screened this classic first released in 1972 back in 2018 and could only access it from an old DVD, so are so excited to see it has been strikingly restored.
[Director-Screenwriter Tewfik Saleh]
6 October, 18:20 at BFI
Lina Soualem’s deeply personal and joyful exploration of her relationship with her mother, the acclaimed actor Hiam Abbass.
[Director Lina Soualem]
Behind the Mountains (Oura el Jebel)
A father tries to reconnect with his son and show him a fascinating discovery, in this social drama which revels in magical realism.
[Director Mohamed Ben Attia]
7 & 11 October at Curzon Soho & Vue West End
Sofia Alaoui’s quietly powerful feature debut, featuring a breakout central performance by Oumaïma Barid, takes aim at Morocco’s wealthy elite.
[Director-Screenwriter Sofia Alaoui]
9 & 11 October at Vue West End & Prince Charles Cinema
Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano
Cyril Aris’ fascinating documentary charts the making of 2021 LFF Audience Award winner Costa Brava, Lebanon, completed in the aftermath of a disaster.
[Director-Screenwriter Cyril Aris]
9 & 12 October at BFI & Curzon Soho
Inshallah a boy (Inshallah Walad)
The challenges of single motherhood in an oppressive society are exposed in this gripping Jordanian drama, anchored by an empowering central performance.
[Director Amjad Al Rasheed]
10 & 12 October at BFI & Curzon Soho
Four Daughters (Les Filles d’Olfa)
The mother-daughter relationship is explored to cathartic effect in this complex and poignant hybrid documentary about a woman and her missing daughters.
[Director-Screenwriter Kaouther Ben Hania]
13 & 14 October at BFI & Vue West End
Murmurs of the otherworldly pass through an Egyptian village. Fields and dwellings stir with quiet enchantment as inhabitants seek illumination.
[Director-Screenwriter Mahdy Abo Bahat, Abdo Zin Eldin]
14 October, 13:45 at the ICA, screening ahead of Mangosteen
In Sudanese filmmaker Mohamed Kordofani’s impressive drama, a woman seeks redemption following an incident that threatens to destroy all she holds dear.
[Director-Screenwriter Mohamed Kordofani]
14 & 15 October at the BFI & Curzon Soho
A celebration of culture, sexuality and love, Sally El Hosaini’s third collaboration with James Krishna Floyd is a potent portrait of modern London.
[Directors Sally El Hosaini, James Krishna Floyd]
14 & 15 October at the BFI & Prince Charles Cinema