SUDANESE FILM GROUP, THEN AND NOW: Part 1
2024-09-16 - 2024-09-26 | Virtual
Join us for September’s Arab Film Series online program: SUDANESE FILM GROUP, THEN AND NOW
Part 1: Sept 16-26, 2025
Part 2: Nov 11-21, 2024
RSVP: arabfilmseries.org
FREE / $5 suggested donation
Available Worldwide

Founded in April 1989 by Ibrahim Shaddad, Eltayeb Mahdi, and Suliman Elnour, just months before Omar Albashir’s military coup, the Sudanese Film Group (SFG) is a collective of filmmakers with a goal to maintain and develop Sudanese cinema. After returning from their film studies abroad, the members spread their love of cinema through film productions, mobile screenings, and publications. Producing over forty films, the group aspired for freedom of expression and the amplifying of local narratives.

This two-part program includes a selection of the Sudanese Film Group’s experimental films using 35mm and 16mm reels, which were digitally restored by Arsenal Berlin in 2018, in an effort to preserve this part of cinematic history. The program also includes a more recent film by Eltayeb Mahdi that documents the Sudanese revolution in 2019.

Screening Online: ON LANDSCAPES, RUINS AND PATTERNS OF REMEMBERING Curated by: Fawz Kabra
2024-09-19 - 2024-09-24 | Virtual
Screening Online: Sept. 19 – 24, 2024
RSVP: artearchive.org
FREE / $5 suggested donation
ON LANDSCAPES, RUINS AND PATTERNS OF REMEMBERING is a program of video works that unfold a politics of image-making, reviewing and recounting social and cultural histories as they are explored through contemporary frameworks. The program is prompted by a work from the ArteArchive—Toukan’s performance video, Remind me to Remember to Forget (2006), after Mahmoud Darwish’s 1982 prose poem, “Memory for Forgetfulness.” The artist proposes to reverse the act of writing and the will to remember, consequently dispersing the written word and suspending it in memory and reimagination.
Revisiting Toukan’s video eighteen years later, in a global context that remains anxious with war and impending invasions, Remind me to Remember to Forget is revisited in conversation with works by Alsharif, Collins, Hopinka, Jacir, and Namy. Through minimalist experiments and lyrical narratives the works address profound violences of colonial erasure of land and people, the legacies of exile and dispersion, and our relationship to objects and images when only image and replica remain.

In their distinct structural explorations of cycles and repetitions, these works deal with the promises and devastating blunders of modernity. They connect to land, time, and space in a contemporary world charged with a renewed authoritarian tendency that swings from guise and symbolism to blatant and annihilating power. Between lived experiences and replicated environments, these works present a receding natural world, real and imagined sites, and archives that render the architectures of a modern time swept up in a coup of capitalist developments and techno-autocratic fascist regimes.

ON LANDSCAPES, RUINS AND PATTERNS OF REMEMBERING is co-presented with e-flux.

Virtual Movie: Aida Returns
2024-09-27
A poignant, sometimes sad, sometimes painful, sometimes humorous, often absurd story of a multiple journey: the journey of loss as the director’s mother Aida struggled with losing herself to Alzheimer’s disease, but finding solace in her repeated “returning” to the Yafa and Palestine of her youth; the journey of the loss of a parent; and the ultimate return journey back to Yafa where Aida would finally find rest and be herself once more.

Virtual Movie: Homeland: Iraq Year Zero
2024-09-27 | Virtual
In February 2002 – about a year before the U.S. invasion – Iraqi filmmaker Abbas Fahdel traveled home from France to capture everyday life as his country prepared for war. He concentrated on family and friends, including his 12-year-old nephew, Haider, as they went about their daily lives, which had come to include planning for shortages of food, water and power. No strangers to war, the Iraqis thought they understood what was coming, and could even manage to be grimly humorous about what they felt would likely be a major and lengthy inconvenience. And then, the war began.

When Fahdel resumed filming in 2003, two weeks after the invasion, daily activities have come to a near standstill, the city is overrun with foreign soldiers, and many areas of Baghdad had been closed off to ordinary citizens. Iraqis endure, seemingly as unwitting as Americans themselves about what further tragedy awaits. Fahdel’s epic yet intimate film paints a compelling portrait of people struggling to survive while their civilization, dating back to ancient times, is destroyed around them.

Virtual Movie Screenings: Every Saturday with Palestine Museum US
2024-10-05 09:00 - 11:00, 2024-12-07 09:00 - 11:00, 2024-12-14 09:00 - 11:00, 2024-12-21 09:00 - 11:00, 2024-12-28 09:00 - 11:00, 2025-01-04 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Virtual
Check website: https://www.palestinemuseum.us/events for current showings and for registration links!
Often the screening ends with a Q&A with the director!

“Walled Off” Film Screening
2024-10-20 16:00 - 18:00 | The Crocodile, 2505 1st Ave, Seattle, WA, 98033, United States
Come hear from Watermelon Pictures execs and storytellers, and watch a screening of acclaimed documentary “Walled Off.”
About this Event
Join us for a screening of “Walled Off.” The film explores the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the lens of mysterious British street artist Banksy’s Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem. The film highlights the importance of creative resistance as a form of protest and challenges the mainstream media’s narrative of the occupation.

AFMI: Arab Film Fest
2024-10-24

AFMI: Film Festival (some virtual)
2024-10-24 - 2024-11-03 | Virtual
So many movies available for streaming through November 3rd: Back to Alexandria, Baghdad Messi, Aida Returns, Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano and more!
Click here to see what other films are available to stream!
There are collections of film shorts! Documentaries! Horror flicks! Something for everyone!
https://watch.eventive.org/arabfilm2024

Palestine Cinema Days: 2024
2024-11-02 19:30 - 21:30 | Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 2, Seattle, WA, 98122, United States
A poignant, sometimes sad, sometimes painful, sometimes humorous, often absurd story of a multiple journey: the journey of loss as the directors mother Aida struggled with losing herself to Alzheimers disease, but finding solace in her repeated returning to the Yafa and Palestine of her youth; the journey of the loss of a parent; and the ultimate return journey back to Yafa where Aida would finally find rest and be herself once more.
Presented as a part of Palestine Cinema Days 2024
On the somber anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, observed on November 2nd, and in an effort to amplify Palestinian voices, we are screening Aida Returns directed by Carol Mansour at 7:30 p.m. at Northwest Film Forum. The screening is free of charge.
(Carol Mansour, Canada, Lebanon, United States, 2024, 1hour 12min, in Arabic, English, and French with English subtitles)

AFMI: Film Festival (some virtual)
2024-11-06 - 2024-11-15 | Virtual
Choose the best option for you:

VIP FESTIVAL PASS – $220 (regular $250)
for the most passionate Arab cinema lover
FESTIVAL PASS – $150 (regular $180)
for the fan who wants to watch as many movies as possible
VIRTUAL PASS – $60 (regular $80)
for the cinephile who is not in the Bay Area (or prefers streaming a limited program)

If you want to enjoy all the festival has to offer, this is the best deal.
Check out all the details here.

Streaming: Then and Now (curated by Sudanese Film Group)
2024-11-11 - 2024-11-21 | Virtual
This two-part program includes a selection of the Sudanese Film Group’s experimental films using 35mm and 16mm reels, which were digitally restored by Arsenal Berlin in 2018, in an effort to preserve this part of cinematic history. The program also includes a more recent film by Eltayeb Mahdi that documents the Sudanese revolution in 2019.

Free virtual screening of the documentary film 'Sacrificing Liberty'
2024-11-24 09:00 - 11:00 | Virtual
Screening will start at 12:00 Noon US EST; 18:00 Europe; 19:00 Palestine; 17:00 UK; running time, 60 minutes each part, English language.
Please click here to watch the film trailer.
Please click here to register to view the film.
SYNOPSIS
“Sacrificing Liberty” is a powerful documentary directed by Matthew Skow that examines the tragic attack on the USS Liberty by Israeli forces on June 8, 1967, during the Six-Day War. The film provides a detailed account of the incident, which resulted in the deaths of 34 American crew members and injuries to 174 others. Through interviews with survivors and experts, the documentary uncovers the subsequent cover-up by the U.S. government and highlights the enduring quest for justice and recognition by the survivors. It is a poignant exploration of a dark chapter in American naval history and the resilience of those who lived through it.

Watermelon Pictures: Life Is Beautiful (streaming)
2024-11-26 - 2024-12-01 | Virtual
New Release from Watermelon Pictures:
Exiled above the arctic circle in Norway and refusing to accept the boundaries imposed by international politics & rigid bureaucracy, Palestinian filmmaker Mohamed Jabaly insists on telling heartfelt stories from his hometown Gaza. Despite his statelessness and having only limited connection to his family abroad, he manages to channel support from friends and his own creativity, adhering to his motto LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. And throughout it all, he fights for his rights with integrity, community, and a smile for the world.
Check out the trailer here: https://youtu.be/nqTlHyjR1xA
Screening on major digital platforms on 11/26!
https://www.watermelonpictures.com/films/life-is-beautiful-a-letter-to-gaza

Walled Off: Exclusive Screening
2024-12-08 15:00 - 18:00 | Cherry Street Village, 720 25th Avenue, Seattle, WA, United States
Join us for a Special Screening of the film “Walled Off.” Witness this powerful documentary in person with fellow film enthusiasts. Immerse yourself in the thought-provoking storyline and visually stunning cinematography. This event promises to be a memorable experience for all attendees. Don’t miss out on this Exclusive Screening!

"5 Broken Cameras" Film Screening
2025-01-12 10:30 - 12:30 | University – Seattle Public Library, 5009 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98105, United States
“5 Broken Cameras” Film Screening
Sunday, January 12, 2025·10:30am – 12:30pm

University Branch – The Seattle Public Library, 5009 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105, USA

Join JVP Seattle for a screening and discussion of ‘5 Broken Cameras’, part of an ongoing film series. Beginning in 2005, filmmaker Emad Burnet records his village’s resistance to the encroachment of Israeli settlements. Structured around the violent destruction of each one of Burnat’s cameras, the filmmakers’ collaboration follows one family’s evolution over five years of village turmoil. Register at bit.ly/jvpscreening

Marketing the Occupation: Part Three - The Social Media Battleground in a Time of War
2025-01-19 12:00 - 15:00 | Virtual
Israel and pro-Israel advocacy groups have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on social media messaging to build “Brand Israel” and sway U.S. public opinion. Such campaigns have influenced elections, inserted falsehoods into news cycles, and intimated decision-makers into funding weapons for Israel. But there is resistance. For example, Wikipedia has deemed the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) “a generally unreliable source” on the war in Gaza. Students assert their First Amendment rights, protesting on campuses, advocating for boycotts, and sharing news directly from Gaza. What are the dimensions of this social media battle for the “hearts and minds” of the American public?

Watch the curated videos for free at your convenience. | Join the Q&A discussion with:
Omar Zahzah – Assistant Professor, AMED Studies, San Francisco State University
Katie Halper – Host, “The Katie Halper Show” (WBAI); Co-Host, “Useful Idiots”
Bryce Greene – FAIR Student Organizer, Indiana University Bloomington
Maya Berry – (Moderator) Executive Director, Arab American Institute

Register now: Tinyurl.com/VFHL-January2025
Watch the trailer: https://tinyurl.com/VFHL-TrailerJanuary2025

Movie: From Ground Zero at the Grand Illusion
2025-01-19 15:15 - 17:30 | Grand Illusion Theater, 1403 NE 50th St, Seattle, WA, 98105
Shortlisted for Best International Feature for the 2025 Academy Awards, FROM GROUND ZERO is an anthology project comprised of 22 short films created by filmmakers from Gaza. Launched by renowned Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, the initiative was created during the current 2023/2024 conflict and aims to provide a platform for young Palestinian artists to express themselves through their craft.
Each film, ranging in length from three to six minutes, presents a unique perspective on the current reality in Gaza. The project captures the diverse experiences of life in the Palestinian enclave, including the challenges, tragedies, and moments of resilience faced by its people. Using a mix of genres including fiction, documentary, docu-fiction, animation, and experimental cinema, From Ground Zero presents a rich diversity of stories that reflect the sorrow, joy, and hope inherent in Gazan life.
Despite harsh filming conditions, Gaza’s vibrant artistic scene shines through this stunning anthology film, which offers an intimate and powerful portrait of daily life in modern-day Palestine – and the enduring spirit of its people.
In Arabic with English subtitles.
“The fact that this film even exists seems miraculous… [From Ground Zero] aims to humanize, to empathize, to go beyond the headlines and geopolitics. It aims to convey the hopes and dreams of everyday people, which persist even in dire circumstances.” Jennifer Green, Alliance of Women Film Journalists
“A powerful cry to the world that these filmmakers, collaborators, and people walking in the background are still there, still living under worsening conditions, and still need help. From Ground Zero is an unforgettable exhibition of the human spirit.” Monica Castillo, RogerEbert.com

Sunday, Jan 19, 2025, 3:15pm
Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025, 7:15pm
Saturday, Jan 25, 2025, 4:15pm

Movie: From Ground Zero at the Grand Illusion
2025-01-21 19:15 - 21:30 | Grand Illusion Theater, 1403 NE 50th St, Seattle, WA, 98105
Shortlisted for Best International Feature for the 2025 Academy Awards, FROM GROUND ZERO is an anthology project comprised of 22 short films created by filmmakers from Gaza. Launched by renowned Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, the initiative was created during the current 2023/2024 conflict and aims to provide a platform for young Palestinian artists to express themselves through their craft.
Each film, ranging in length from three to six minutes, presents a unique perspective on the current reality in Gaza. The project captures the diverse experiences of life in the Palestinian enclave, including the challenges, tragedies, and moments of resilience faced by its people. Using a mix of genres including fiction, documentary, docu-fiction, animation, and experimental cinema, From Ground Zero presents a rich diversity of stories that reflect the sorrow, joy, and hope inherent in Gazan life.
Despite harsh filming conditions, Gaza’s vibrant artistic scene shines through this stunning anthology film, which offers an intimate and powerful portrait of daily life in modern-day Palestine – and the enduring spirit of its people.
In Arabic with English subtitles.
“The fact that this film even exists seems miraculous… [From Ground Zero] aims to humanize, to empathize, to go beyond the headlines and geopolitics. It aims to convey the hopes and dreams of everyday people, which persist even in dire circumstances.” Jennifer Green, Alliance of Women Film Journalists
“A powerful cry to the world that these filmmakers, collaborators, and people walking in the background are still there, still living under worsening conditions, and still need help. From Ground Zero is an unforgettable exhibition of the human spirit.” Monica Castillo, RogerEbert.com

Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025, 7:15pm
Saturday, Jan 25, 2025, 4:15pm

Movie: From Ground Zero at the Grand Illusion
2025-01-25 16:15 - 18:30 | Grand Illusion Theater, 1403 NE 50th St, Seattle, WA, 98105
Shortlisted for Best International Feature for the 2025 Academy Awards, FROM GROUND ZERO is an anthology project comprised of 22 short films created by filmmakers from Gaza. Launched by renowned Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, the initiative was created during the current 2023/2024 conflict and aims to provide a platform for young Palestinian artists to express themselves through their craft.
Each film, ranging in length from three to six minutes, presents a unique perspective on the current reality in Gaza. The project captures the diverse experiences of life in the Palestinian enclave, including the challenges, tragedies, and moments of resilience faced by its people. Using a mix of genres including fiction, documentary, docu-fiction, animation, and experimental cinema, From Ground Zero presents a rich diversity of stories that reflect the sorrow, joy, and hope inherent in Gazan life.
Despite harsh filming conditions, Gaza’s vibrant artistic scene shines through this stunning anthology film, which offers an intimate and powerful portrait of daily life in modern-day Palestine – and the enduring spirit of its people.
In Arabic with English subtitles.
“The fact that this film even exists seems miraculous… [From Ground Zero] aims to humanize, to empathize, to go beyond the headlines and geopolitics. It aims to convey the hopes and dreams of everyday people, which persist even in dire circumstances.” Jennifer Green, Alliance of Women Film Journalists
“A powerful cry to the world that these filmmakers, collaborators, and people walking in the background are still there, still living under worsening conditions, and still need help. From Ground Zero is an unforgettable exhibition of the human spirit.” Monica Castillo, RogerEbert.com

Saturday, Jan 25, 2025, 4:15pm

The Unfathomable Truth: Palestine and Israel in Context
2025-02-01 09:00 - 11:00 | Virtual
Please click here to register to view the video.

Screening will start at 12:00 Noon US EST; 18:00 Europe; 19:00 Palestine; 17:00 UK; running time: 52 minutes; English language. The screening will be followed with a discussion with the video producer Mercy Quaye, founder & CEO of The Narrative Project, and interviewees Faisal Saleh and Shelly Altman.
On October 24, 2024, The Narrative Project brought together Faisal Saleh, Founder of the Palestine Museum US, and Shelly Altman, Co-Founder of Jewish Voice for Peace New Haven, Connecticut, to discuss the history that predates the October 7, 2023 attack and the ensuing fifteen months of turmoil.
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Movie: From Ground Zero at the Northwest Film Forum
2025-02-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 2, Seattle, WA, 98122, United States
Shortlisted for Best International Feature for the 2025 Academy Awards, FROM GROUND ZERO is an anthology project comprised of 22 short films created by filmmakers from Gaza. Launched by renowned Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, the initiative was created during the current 2023/2024 conflict and aims to provide a platform for young Palestinian artists to express themselves through their craft.
Each film, ranging in length from three to six minutes, presents a unique perspective on the current reality in Gaza. The project captures the diverse experiences of life in the Palestinian enclave, including the challenges, tragedies, and moments of resilience faced by its people. Using a mix of genres including fiction, documentary, docu-fiction, animation, and experimental cinema, From Ground Zero presents a rich diversity of stories that reflect the sorrow, joy, and hope inherent in Gazan life.
Despite harsh filming conditions, Gaza’s vibrant artistic scene shines through this stunning anthology film, which offers an intimate and powerful portrait of daily life in modern-day Palestine – and the enduring spirit of its people.
In Arabic with English subtitles.
“The fact that this film even exists seems miraculous… [From Ground Zero] aims to humanize, to empathize, to go beyond the headlines and geopolitics. It aims to convey the hopes and dreams of everyday people, which persist even in dire circumstances.” Jennifer Green, Alliance of Women Film Journalists
“A powerful cry to the world that these filmmakers, collaborators, and people walking in the background are still there, still living under worsening conditions, and still need help. From Ground Zero is an unforgettable exhibition of the human spirit.” Monica Castillo, RogerEbert.com

No Other Land: SIFF
2025-02-07 16:45 - 18:15, 2025-02-07 19:00 - 20:30 | SIFF Film Center, 305 Harrison St, Seattle, 98109
For half a decade, Basel Adra, a Palestinian activist, films his community of Masafer Yatta being destroyed by Israel’s occupation, as he builds an unlikely alliance with an Israeli journalist who wants to join his fight.

Director:Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Country:Palestine, Norway
Running Time:95 min.
Producer:Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
Cinematographers:Rachel Szor
Editors:Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Music:Julius Pollux Rothlaender
Language:Arabic, Hebrew, English
US Distributor:Cintetic Handling
International Sales:Autlook

TICKETS
Select showtime for pricing and tickets.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2025

SIFF Film Center

4:45 PM7:00 PM

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2025

SIFF Film Center

4:45 PM7:00 PM

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2025

SIFF Film Center

7:00 PM

No Other Land: SIFF
2025-02-08 16:45 - 18:30, 2025-02-08 19:00 - 20:30 | SIFF Film Center, 305 Harrison St, Seattle, 98109
For half a decade, Basel Adra, a Palestinian activist, films his community of Masafer Yatta being destroyed by Israel’s occupation, as he builds an unlikely alliance with an Israeli journalist who wants to join his fight.

Director:Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Country:Palestine, Norway
Running Time:95 min.
Producer:Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
Cinematographers:Rachel Szor
Editors:Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Music:Julius Pollux Rothlaender
Language:Arabic, Hebrew, English
US Distributor:Cintetic Handling
International Sales:Autlook

TICKETS
Select showtime for pricing and tickets.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2025

SIFF Film Center

4:45 PM7:00 PM

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2025

SIFF Film Center

7:00 PM
