Dublin Arabic Film Festival
  • Home
  • Short Film Finalist Programme
  • Jim Sheridan Short Film Competition
  • About Us
    • President's Note
    • Honorary Chairman's Note
    • CEO/Founder
    • Festival Team
  • Sponsors
  • Gallery
  • Archive
    • 2020 Programme Listings
    • 2019 Event
  • Press
  • Contact


2020 Feature Programme Listings

Special Screening

Thursday 10th of November 
Available on our platform page between 8pm- Midnight
Girl from Mogadishu
Directed by Mary McGuckian.
Synopsis ​
​Fleeing war-torn Somalia in 2006 for the United States, Ifrah Ahmed is trafficked to Dublin, Ireland where she applies for asylum. A traumatic medical examination reveals the extent of her mutilation as a child. Traumatised by the memory, she channels the experience into a force for change and emerges as a formidable campaigner against Female Genital Mutilation at the highest political echelons in Ireland, Europe and globally.
 
Starring Aja Naomi King (How to Get Away with Murder) as Ifrah Ahmed and Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips) along with Orla Brady (Picard, Rose Plays Julie) and Somali icon, Maryam Mursal the film boasts an original score by Nitin Sawhney and its title track also features Quiet by Milck, the unofficial anthem of the 2017 USA Women’s March. Based on the recorded testimony of activist Ifrah Ahmed, it is written and directed by Mary McGuckian.
Country of Production:
 Ireland | Belgium | Morocco
Go to our platform page at www.dublinarabicfilmfestivalonline.com for more info.

Main Programme ​
Running from 11-13 December

1. Unlocking Doors of Cinema 
Directed
by
Nezar Andary
Synopsis
Unlocking Doors of Cinema is a feature documentary exploring the fifty years of artistic contribution of the daring Syrian auteur Muhammad Malas. Malas, an exile from his home town of Quneitra, provokes audiences to contemplate loss, memory, and home. From the 1967 War and Palestinian Camps in Beirut, to the songs of Aleppo, and the political tragedies of Syria, Malas exemplifies what it means to be an auteur and public intellectual.Unlocking Doors of Cinema takes you on a unique cinematic journey where creative cinematography becomes a visual conversation with the auteur's own five decades of work.
Country of Origin: United Arab Emirates
Go to our platform page at www.dublinarabicfilmfestivalonline.com for more info.

​2. L’Orchestre des Aveugles
Directed by  Mohamed Mouftakir
Synopsis
Since Mimou was seven years old, he was in love with Chama, the neighbor's maid. To avoid the wrath of his demanding father, Mimou fakes his school grades.
Country of Origin : Morocco
Go to our platform page at www.dublinarabicfilmfestivalonline.com for more info.

3. Mother, I am Joseph
Directed by Mohammad Reza Fartousi

Synopsis
Joseph ran away from Saddam's agents because he didn't want to fight in Iraq Iran war. Nobody has any news of him for 21 years. After the Allies invade Iraq, some news is heard about Joseph
Country of Origin: - Iraq
Go to our platform page at www.dublinarabicfilmfestivalonline.com for more info.

​ 4. Walled Citizen
Directed by Sameer Qumsiyah

Synopsis 
Walled Citizen is an Independent Documentary that was conceived in the land of Walls and Conflict to tell stories about Freedom and Friendship.
It was filmed with Sameer's personal camera to document his attempts to travel the world while carrying one of the world's weakest ranking passports (the Palestinian passport). Through the course of 3 years he filmed his encounter with other freedom seekers, refugees, immigrants, indigenous communities in the amazon and many other.
Country of Origin:  Palestine
Go to our platform page at www.dublinarabicfilmfestivalonline.com for more info.

5. The Guardian of Memory
Directed by Sawsan Qaoud

Synopsis
Guardian of Memory
 is a documentary film featuring Tarek Bakri, a Palestinian researcher who works to connect Palestinians in the diaspora with their homeland through his project “We Were and We Are Still Here”. He helps the families return to their land, many for the first time, then uses social media to share the stories and images online. He also records details about each family’s relationship to their land to preserve their histories and to keep the Palestinian memory alive.
Country of Origin: Palestine
​Go to our platform page at www.dublinarabicfilmfestivalonline.com for more info
 
6. Blue Elephant 2
Directed by: Marwan Hamed
Synopsis 
​A meeting with a new inmate in the psychiatric hospital flips Dr. Yehia's life upside down, he prophesies that the death of his entire family is only three days away.
​Go to our platform page at www.dublinarabicfilmfestivalonline.com for more info.

7. Poisonous Roses
Directed by 
 Ahmed Fawzi Saleh
Synopsis 
Set in the confines of an impoverished Cairo neighbourhood, a community's everyday life is threatened by the ruthless rhythms of Tanneries, rotary driers crushing animal skin, hazards of poisonous waste water, Tahyea desperately clings to her brother, Saqr, whose only dream is to escape.
Go to our platform page at www.dublinarabicfilmfestivalonline.com for more info


In Association with  the French Embassy , we will present Zaina into Dublin schools.
Zaina, Cavaliere de L’Atlas
Directed by Bourlem Guerdjou
Synopsis
Young Zaina, must lead a caravan of precious thoroughbreds to Marrakech to take part of the most prestigious of all races : the Agdal. Along she'll have to face powerful Omar and learn to trust her newly discovered father Mustapha.
Country of Origin:  France & Morocco (for schools in partnership with the Embassy of France)
Free Screening will be presented.

​

 A message from the French Ambassador to Ireland







In collaboration with Chester Beatty, we will screen two movies on DAFF platform for free.


1.  Talking About Trees
Directed by Ibrahim
Shaddad

Synopsis
Four older Sudanese filmmakers with passion for film battle to bring cinema-going back to Sudan, not without resistance.
Their 'Sudanese Film Club' have decided to revive an old cinema, and again draw attention to Sudanese film history.
Country of Origin : Sudan
Free Screening will be presented on our online platform on Sat 12th December at 12:00pm







​2. The Perfect Candidate 
Directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour

Synopsis
A determined young Saudi doctor's surprise run for office in the local city elections sweeps up her family and community as they struggle to accept their town's first female candidate.
Country of Origin : Saudi Arabia
Free Screening will be presented on our online platform on Sat 12th December at ​4pm



 



Picture

Picture

Picture

Picture

Picture

Picture

Picture

Picture

Picture

Picture

Picture
Picture

Picture

Charity Presentation

Picture


Shelter me by Zahara Moufid
Produced by Jim Sheridan and Zahara Moufid  


Christmas Fundraising Appeal for the homeless people of Ireland.
​Profits of the presentation will go to the to  charity of the Inner city helping the homeless.
Synopsis

On the 16th of December 2016 a group of housing activists and trade unionists commandeered Apollo House, an empty Nama-controlled office block on Dublin's Poolbeg Street and opened a shelter for homeless people. Joined by well-known public figures, including film director Jim Sheridan and musicians Glen Hansard and Hozier, and frustrated by government inaction towards the growing homelessness problem they set about raising awareness of this crisis. Spurred on by media interest in the cause, this direct action ignited the support of the public who responded in their droves by donating food and clothing and volunteering to help.
​Go to our platform page at www.dublinarabicfilmfestivalonline.com for more info.



Trailers


​

© Copyright - Dublin Arabic Film Festival 2020 | Built by Mad Dog Productions 

  • Home
  • Short Film Finalist Programme
  • Jim Sheridan Short Film Competition
  • About Us
    • President's Note
    • Honorary Chairman's Note
    • CEO/Founder
    • Festival Team
  • Sponsors
  • Gallery
  • Archive
    • 2020 Programme Listings
    • 2019 Event
  • Press
  • Contact