Books to read this summer
11 August '23
In collaboration with Saqi Books, we've put together a list of titles we think you'll love to read this summer.
Q&A with Jessica El-Mal, our Arab Britain Curator
04 August '23
I am most looking forward to meeting and working with artists, and building new networks of solidarity, support and knowledge sharing.
Untold stories of Arabs in Victorian Britain
04 August '23
As we continue to read history between the lines, we can pave the way for a deeper understanding of the role played by our communities in shaping the landscape of British history.
REVIEW: Wild Thorns
24 July '23
A hugely important novel in demonstrating oft ignored realities, Khalifeh’s Wild Thorns is essential reading for those seeking a greater understanding of the pure humanity in Palestine, and the depth and breadth of experience in the nation today.
REVIEW: Iraq’s Invisible Beauty
24 July '23
Themes of progress and regression, humankind’s power to create and destroy, and the contrast between urban and rural weave a loving, but honest, portrait of Iraq as only someone who truly knows it could paint.
SAFAR: The Final Dispatch
17 July '23
Waiting for my train at Barbican station, I recall the films and stories in which I have been immersed at SAFAR screenings. I think of the awe-inspiring filmmakers at this year’s edition; at times, effectively risking their livelihoods, prosecution and more, in order to share their stories with the world.
SAFAR Dispatch: R21 & Shorts
10 July '23
In expanding on the background behind the plot of her film, Maha talks about the culture and rituals revolving around VHS tape rental shops in the 1980s. She relates some of the mischief that occurred when the tape inside a rented VHS cassette was swapped for a tape of a completely different film. The staff of the video rentals store wouldn’t be any the wiser, and would simply hand over the tape to the next unsuspecting customer.
SAFAR Dispatch: Raven’s Song
10 July '23
The framing underpins the solitude and a real lack of emotional support in the life of the lead character, played by Asem Alawad. Not only does he have a fraught relationship with his father, who disparagingly calls him a “dumb goat”, he also has been diagnosed with a brain tumour.
SAFAR Dispatch: 19B
07 July '23
It transpires that she has attended almost every screening at this year’s SAFAR. I am so impressed; I have found a comrade in the land of film festival marathons. We compare our respective bookings for the remainder of SAFAR, before we say goodbye. I almost say out loud, “see you at the pictures!”
SAFAR Dispatch: Birdland
04 July '23
By the time the credits roll, I find myself tearing up like a couple of people seated next to me.