São Paulo – The 50th São Paulo International Film Festival opens Thursday (15) with an extensive lineup celebrating its 50th anniversary. Through October 29, it will screen 380 films from 93 countries, including 20 productions or co-productions from 11 Arab countries: Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Qatar, Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Palestine, Syria and Somalia.
Arab films are featured in several sections of the festival, including the Brazil Showcase, International Perspective, New Directors Competition and Special Presentation. One example is the short film Whispers of a Burning Scent (2026), a co-production between Somalia, Austria and Germany. It follows a musician who faces two pivotal events on the same day—a musical performance and a court hearing—that lead him to an irreversible decision. The film is directed by Somali-Austrian filmmaker Mo Harawe.
Also released in 2026, the feature film Furies is a Brazilian-Lebanese co-production directed by Lebanese filmmaker Rami Kodeih. In the film, a young mother decides to use her savings to help pay for her sister’s surgery. A financial collapse, however, prevents people from withdrawing money from banks, prompting the sisters to plan a heist with consequences that quickly spiral out of control.
In Chronicles from the Siege (2026), directed by Abdallah Alkhatib, a group of Palestinians trapped in a building struggles to survive amid the conflict in their country and carry out even the simplest everyday tasks under extremely difficult conditions. Inspired by the director’s own experiences, the film reflects on the Palestinian experience of living under siege.
The festival also offers an opportunity to see films that could compete for the 2027 Oscars. Among them is the Algerian film Roqia (2025), directed by Yanis Koussim. In the film, a man loses his memory after a car accident. When he returns home, he no longer recognizes his family, feels uneasy around people who were once his friends and struggles to understand the presence of figures who speak an unfamiliar language. The film uses psychological horror as a metaphor for reality.
The films will be screened at 57 movie theaters, cultural venues and Unified Educational Centers (CEUs). The festival will also host talks and discussions with producers and directors, including Walter Salles, whose film I’m Still Here won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film in 2025. The full program is available on the festival’s website.
Read more:
Arab films seeking to compete for an Oscar
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
