Film
The Tale of Daye’s Family (12A) – SAFAR Film Festival 2025 + Until the Sea
To mark Refugee Week (16-22 June 2025), this event will start with a screening of Until the Sea at 5.30pm. Please note that we will allow entry to the auditorium between the short film and the feature film for audience members who can only attend from 6pm.
Read James Banyard's review of Until the Sea and The Tale of Daye's Family on our blog.
5.30pm: Until the Sea (35 mins)
Until the Sea follows a group of young women refugees and asylum seekers who, after being settled by the Home Office in Britain's Ocean City, find themselves surrounded by water, many can't swim and may have sea trauma. Set up by passionate surfers Tigs & Rebecca, we hear how Reclaim the Sea uses a therapeutic approach to teach water confidence, swimming, surfing and paddle boarding. Working in sea rescue herself inspired Tigs to want to create the charity with Rebecca, whose advocacy work at Devon & Cornwall Refugee Service spurred her on. We also follow one young woman Olga as she anxiously awaits her papers to stay in the UK and another Ingrid from South America who is so keen on her new found love, paddle boarding, that she embarks on an instructor training course. But really it's just a short story about humanity and our love for nature and freedom, and how much we can help each other when we just show we care.
Find out more and donate: www.reclaimthesea.org.uk
6pm: The Tale of Daye's Family (12A)
Dir. Karim El Shenawy, Egypt, 2024, 104 minutes. In Arabic with English subtitles. Cast. Aseel Omran, Islam Mubark, Haneen Saeed, Mohammed Mounir, Badr Mohammad.
Daye is a 14-year-old albino boy from Nubia with a golden voice, who dreams of becoming a singer like his idol, Mohamed Mounir. Bullied for his unique appearance by peers, and abandoned by his father, Daye is determined to stay upbeat. When he gets the unique opportunity to audition for The Voice, Daye and his family embark on the perilous journey from Aswan to Cairo.
Despite their path being fraught with challenges - including a stolen car, lost savings, fleeing from the police, and lacking any means of communication - they also receive help from unexpected quarters, including a friendly firefighter – and an inspiring encounter with Mounir himself.
This unique and often hilarious tale is a testament to the power of music, resilience, hope, and the unbreakable bond of family over adversity.
The Tale of Daye’s Family received its world premiere as the opener of Red Sea International Film Festival and its European premiere at Berlinale. SAFAR is proud to present the UK premiere of the film.
Content guidance: advisory 12A (discrimination, mild violence).
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.
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.
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.
www.safarfilmfestival.co.uk
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.)
Read James Banyard's review of Until the Sea and The Tale of Daye's Family on our blog.
5.30pm: Until the Sea (35 mins)
Until the Sea follows a group of young women refugees and asylum seekers who, after being settled by the Home Office in Britain's Ocean City, find themselves surrounded by water, many can't swim and may have sea trauma. Set up by passionate surfers Tigs & Rebecca, we hear how Reclaim the Sea uses a therapeutic approach to teach water confidence, swimming, surfing and paddle boarding. Working in sea rescue herself inspired Tigs to want to create the charity with Rebecca, whose advocacy work at Devon & Cornwall Refugee Service spurred her on. We also follow one young woman Olga as she anxiously awaits her papers to stay in the UK and another Ingrid from South America who is so keen on her new found love, paddle boarding, that she embarks on an instructor training course. But really it's just a short story about humanity and our love for nature and freedom, and how much we can help each other when we just show we care.
Find out more and donate: www.reclaimthesea.org.uk
6pm: The Tale of Daye's Family (12A)
Dir. Karim El Shenawy, Egypt, 2024, 104 minutes. In Arabic with English subtitles. Cast. Aseel Omran, Islam Mubark, Haneen Saeed, Mohammed Mounir, Badr Mohammad.
Daye is a 14-year-old albino boy from Nubia with a golden voice, who dreams of becoming a singer like his idol, Mohamed Mounir. Bullied for his unique appearance by peers, and abandoned by his father, Daye is determined to stay upbeat. When he gets the unique opportunity to audition for The Voice, Daye and his family embark on the perilous journey from Aswan to Cairo.
Despite their path being fraught with challenges - including a stolen car, lost savings, fleeing from the police, and lacking any means of communication - they also receive help from unexpected quarters, including a friendly firefighter – and an inspiring encounter with Mounir himself.
This unique and often hilarious tale is a testament to the power of music, resilience, hope, and the unbreakable bond of family over adversity.
The Tale of Daye’s Family received its world premiere as the opener of Red Sea International Film Festival and its European premiere at Berlinale. SAFAR is proud to present the UK premiere of the film.
Content guidance: advisory 12A (discrimination, mild violence).
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.
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.
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.
www.safarfilmfestival.co.uk
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.)
