Foragers (12) + Soup Over Bethlehem – SAFAR Arab Film Festival

Film

Foragers (12) + Soup Over Bethlehem – SAFAR Arab Film Festival

Thursday 6th July 2023

The UK’s largest festival of Arab cinema returns to Plymouth Arts Cinema, showcasing fantastic new fictions from Tunisia and Morocco, as well as a double bill of documentaries from Palestine exploring food sovereignty.

SAFAR - which means ‘journey’ in Arabic - was founded in 2012 and is run by The Arab British Centre. This year’s festival, entitled A Journey Through Space and Time, screens in 9 cities across the UK from 29 June - 9 July.

SAFAR is presented in partnership with the Shubbak Festival and is supported by the British Council, the Bagri Foundation and the City of London Corporation. It screens in 4 venues in London and 8 other cities across the UK. View the festival website here.

Click here for information about the other festival events taking place at Plymouth Arts Cinema


Full price tickets £5 | Concession £4


Foragers / Al-Yad al-Kadra (12)
Dir. Jumana Manna, Palestine, 2022, 65 mins, Arabic, Hebrew with English subtitles.

Soup Over Bethlehem
Dir. Larissa Sansour, Palestine, 2006, 9 mins, Arabic, with English subtitles.

A double-bill of films about food and politics.


For centuries, Palestinians have used za’atar (wild oregano) and ‘akkoub (a thistle-like plant) in their cooking. The plants grow wild and are traditionally foraged, but in Israel today both are deemed “protected species” by the government, and penalties for Palestinians caught picking include hefty fines and prison sentences.

Gracefully weaving together fiction, documentary and archive footage, Foragers follows the plants from the mountainside to the kitchen, taking in chases between foragers and the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority, courtroom defences, and a delicious-looking lunch.

Screening beforehand, Soup Over Bethlehem depicts an ordinary Palestinian family at dinner where a culinary discussion about the national dish 'mloukhieh' soon evolves into a political one.

The screening will be followed by a za’atar tasting and talk by Zaytoun CIC, a social enterprise inspired by a love of Palestinian culture, communities and cuisine. They support Palestinian farmers through fair trade; importing and selling za’atar, olive oil and dates in the UK, with all profits being reinvested into the mission.

Dates & Times

 Thursday 6th Jul 2023  6:00pm Intro + Q&A
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