The Malmö Arab Film Festival has announced the film program for its 15th edition, scheduled to take place from April 29 to May 5, 2025, as well as the members of the jury panels for the festival’s competitions.
The announced program includes 35 films (23 feature films and 12 short films) produced by 12 different Arab countries, with production partnerships from 10 Western countries. The films are distributed as follows: 12 films in the Official Feature Competition, 11 films in the Short Film Competition, two films in the Arabian Nights program, two films in the Special Screenings program, two films in the School Screenings program, and one family film.
Founder and President of the festival, Mohamed Kablaoui, commented on the selections, saying that the 15th edition of the Malmö Arab Cinema Festival will bring together some of the best recent Arab cinema productions that reflect the cultural diversity and creative richness of filmmakers in the Arab world. This year, “we have been keen to present an integrated program that includes films that are strong in their themes and directorial visions, allowing festival audiences to experience distinctive cinematic experiences and interact with the filmmakers.”
The expansion of screenings to the cities of Lund and Landskrona reflects the festival’s commitment to broadening the cinematic conversation and bringing Arabic films to a wider audience. “We look forward to welcoming our guests, both filmmakers and audiences, for an edition that promises a lot of creativity and fruitful discussions, reinforcing Malmö Festival’s position as a major platform for Arab cinema in Europe, Mohamed Kablaou said.
The jury for the feature film competition is made up of: Egyptian director Hala Khalil, Saudi director Hind Al Fahad, Moroccan producer Karim Aytona, Iraqi producer Shaker Tahrir, and Lebanese actress Takla Chamoun
The jury for the short film competition consists of Emirati director Aisha Al Zaabi, Jordanian actor Munther Rayahneh, and Egyptian producer Sherine Magdy
The opening film, Passing Dreams, is directed by Palestinian director Rashid Mishraoui, and is a co-production between Palestine, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, and France.
As always, the Malmö Festival is not limited to the city’s borders, but is taking the magic of Arab cinema to Lund and Landskrona. 11 selected films will be screened in Lund on April 29, May 2 and 3, while on May 3, Landskrona will host a special screening of two films from the festival’s program, allowing a wider audience to enjoy this unique cinematic experience.
TunisianMonitorOnline (Douha Saafi – English NejiMed)
