SAFAR Film Festival Returns to London This September. Get Involved with Kickstarter Campaign.

A vibrant celebration of Arab Cinema, the biennial SAFAR Film Festival, returns to London this autumn for its third edition, following the phenomenal success of previous programmes in 2012 and 2014. Presented by The Arab British Centre in partnership with the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), and supported by the British Council and The Corinthia Hotel London, SAFAR takes place 14 – 18 September 2016.

The Arab British Centre is an award-winning cultural organisation that works to further understanding of the Arab world in the United Kingdom. SAFAR, the only festival in the UK solely focused on programming Arab Cinema, is The Arab British Centre’s flagship event growing the popularity of Arab film culture in the UK. SAFAR’s impressive line-up includes UK premieres, special events and a forum, bringing together some of the most significant figures in Arab Cinema, offering audiences a rare opportunity to hear from guest filmmakers directly.

SAFAR’s 2016 focus is Contemporary Arab Cinema; a testament to the unflinching vitality, versatility and creativity of Arab film culture, showcasing contemporary voices and the singular talents both from emerging filmmakers and master auteurs. Overtly defying and transgressing social and political taboos, this year’s chosen films cross genres and borders, heralding the profound transformations that have taken place in Arab societies since 2011. The selection also celebrates the breadth of work from across the Arab world with films from Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia, mediating stories that challenge stereotypes and self-censorship.

Celebrated writer and independent film and visual arts curator Rasha Salti, is responsible for this year’s magnificent programme. Salti, who lives and works in Beirut, Lebanon, has previously collaborated with a number of organisations and festivals including the Musée Jeu de Paume in Paris, Tate Modern in London, the MoMA in New York and the Toronto International Film Festival. She has co-curated a number of film programmes including The Road to Damascus, with Richard Peña, a retrospective of Syrian cinema that toured worldwide, and Mapping Subjectivity: Experimentation in Arab Cinema from the 1960s until Now, with Jytte Jensen at MoMA in New York.

On being asked to curate this year’s SAFAR Rasha Salti says;

“I was delighted to receive the invitation from the wonderful team at the Arab British Centre, it has been too long since I had an opportunity to present films to London audiences. Part of the magic of cinema is this charming, emotional and subjective invitation to travel to other parts of the world, and how the boundaries of foreignness and otherness dissipate with that travel. Bringing these films to London is a timely, urgent and unique pleasure. We open our programme with celebrated master filmmaker Mohamed Khan’s latest film. I suspect it’s how he would have liked all those who loved his work to grieve his passing. His legacy has shaped the imaginaries of generations, his absence will be deeply felt.”

A crowd funding campaign for the SAFAR film festival was launched on 28 July. The Arab British Centre and film directors involved in the festival will offer a unique selection of film memorabilia and experiences for SAFAR audiences and film fans. With confirmed plans for an engagement programme and a 2017 tour of SAFAR to other UK regional cities, supporters will help make this edition more ambitious and impactful than ever before!

For more information about the Kickstarter campaign; https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/197300406/safar-film-festival

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