Join us for the . . .

The SAFAR Film Festival 2025 is coming to Manchester…

From 11–28 June, the UK’s leading platform for independent Arab cinema brings bold, brilliant films to Contact and we’d love for you to join us!

Explore stories of resistance, sisterhood, revolution, and dreams from Egypt to Palestine and Sudan. Each screening offers a powerful glimpse into Arab life, culture, and creativity.

Tickets available now: contactmcr.com/whats-on

Film line up

Thank You for Banking with Us!

WED 11 Jun

In Ramallah, estranged sisters Mariam and Noura reunite after their father's death leaves a substantial sum in the bank. Under Islamic inheritance law, their absentee brother is entitled to a larger share.

Determined to claim what they believe is rightfully theirs, the sisters embark on a tense, overnight mission to secure the funds before the authorities are notified.

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watch out for zouzou

Fri 13 Jun

This classic was one of the highest-grossing Egyptian films of all time. The story examines societal tensions when traditional values are challenged by modern liberalism in 1970s Egypt.

A ‘musical dramedy’, the story tells of Zouzou, a student from a family of entertainers, but if her peers were to discover that she is a belly dancer by night both her studies and blossoming romance would be at great risk…

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unspoken silences

tue 24 Jun

How do we go about addressing the past through archival images from 1914 to 1918 when what we see is through the eye of the coloniser?

This programme is an open invitation to revisit Palestine in two different eras, with colonial visual material reimagined in the first with music and sound by artists Rana Eid and Cynthia Zaven, and in the second with open reflections by filmmaker Theo Panagapoulos about his own Palestinian heritage.

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Sudan, Remember Us

thu 26 Jun

Following four young artistically creative Sudanese activists. Spanning the years from the Sudanese revolution of 2019, to the outbreak of the grievous civil war in 2023, this immensely moving documentary captures a collective portrait of Sudanese youth, dreaming of a new, democratic Sudan. Hind Meddeb’s documentary is a testament to the resistance and revolutionary spirit of Sudan, and in her words: ‘a cinematic chorus’.

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The Brink of Dreams

sat 28 Jun

In a remote village in Egypt, a group of young Coptic women defy societal norms by forming an all-female street theatre troupe. Over four years, The Brink of Dreams intimately chronicles their journey from adolescence to adulthood, capturing their aspirations to become performers and the challenges they face from their conservative community. Through their art, they confront issues of gender roles and seek to carve a space for self-expression and empowerment.

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Find out more about the SAFAR Film festival and their full programme of events throughout the UK here... safarfilmfestival.co.uk

SAFAR Film Festival 2025 runs from 11-28 June with screenings in London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Clevedon, Glasgow, Hull, Manchester, Oxford, Leeds, Plymouth, and online.