Award Winning Independent Cinema
SAFAR Film Festival
SAFAR Film Festival 2025
SAFAR Film Festival, the UK’s leading platform for independent Arab cinema, is celebrating its landmark 10th edition and returning to cinemas from 11-28 June.
What began in a single venue as a biennial event celebrating popular Arab cinema has grown into the UK’s largest Arab film festival, bringing over 170 rarely-screened classic and contemporary films to 10 cities in its tenure so far.
This year’s SAFAR programme spans decades, geographies and genres, and speaks urgently to the present while excavating the past. It presents cinema that bears witness, that dares to remember and that subverts expectation.
In Plymouth, audiences can enjoy two new award-winning fictions from Palestine and Egypt - Thank You For Banking With Us!, a sharp, darkly humorous tale of sisterhood from Palestine, and The Tale of Daye’s Family, a unique and often
hilarious testament to the power of music, hope, and the unbreakable bond of family over adversity.
For fans of documentary, A State of Passion offers a deeply human perspective on the cost of survival and the ongoing fight for dignity, through an insight into the life and work of British-Palestinian surgeon and activist Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah.
Together, these films remind us that Arab cinema is not confined to one narrative but is a multitude of voices, visions, and lived realities. At a time when representation is a vital form of resistance, SAFAR invites audiences to encounter stories grounded in place but resonant across the world, where filmmakers channel memory, imagination, and defiance into storytelling.
SAFAR Film Festival 2025 runs from 11-28 June with screenings in Plymouth and 9 other cities across the UK and online. It is organised by the Arab British Centre and is supported by the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery, the British Council, the Bagri Foundation, the Asfari Foundation, the City of London Corporation and Barjeel Art Foundation.
Festival Pass: Get a discount (each ticket for £7) when you book tickets for the 3 SAFAR Film Festival events taking place at Plymouth Arts Cinema. (Tickets have to be booked in a single transaction.)