The UK’s largest festival of Arab cinema returns to Plymouth with films exploring family, exile, memory and solidarity, plus two live Q&As.

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL + Q&A (21 June, 20:30)
Mohamed Jabaly | Norway, Palestine, Qatar | 2023 | 93’ | English, Norwegian, Arabic | Feature Documentary

The young Palestinian director Mohamed Jabaly is visiting a film festival in Tromsø in 2014, when the borders to Gaza close. He finds himself stuck in the arctic winter. Little does he know that it will be seven years before he can see his family again.
Life is Beautiful is a story of overcoming a life put on hold by international politics and rigid
bureaucracy, told from the inside by a director who uses all his creativity to connect with the world and forge a way forward.
Director Mohamed Jabaly will be in attendance for a live Q&A after the screening.

Inshallah A Boy + Q&A (26 June, 18:00)
Amjad Al Rasheed | Jordan, France, KSA, Qatar | 2023 | 113’ | Arabic
Feature fiction

A powerful feature debut about survival and hope. After the sudden death of her husband, working mother Nawal has to fight for her inheritance in order to save her daughter and home in a society where having a son would be a game changer.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with award-winning actor and singer Mouna Hawa, who plays lead role Nawal.

Bye Bye Tiberias + Zoo (29 June, 17:30)

Bye Bye Tiberias
Lina Soualem | France, Palestine , Belgium, Qatar | 2023 | 82’ | French, Palestinian Arabic
Closed captions and Audio Description available
Feature documentary

In her early twenties, Hiam Abbass left her native Palestinian village to follow her dream of becoming an actress in Europe, leaving behind her mother, grandmother, and seven sisters.
Thirty years later, her filmmaker daughter Lina returns with her to the village and questions for the first time her mother’s bold choices, her chosen exile and the way the women in their family influenced both their lives.

Presented alongside Tariq Rimawi’s short animation, Zoo (Germany, Jordan 2022).

Find more information and book tickets for Plymouth screenings here.

SAFAR Film Festival, the UK’s largest festival of Arab cinema, screens in 9 UK cities from 18-30 June and is supported by the British Film Institute, awarding funds from the National Lottery, British Council, Bagri Foundation and Barjeel Art Foundation.
Explore the full programme on www.safarfilmfestival.co.uk