São Paulo – Four cities in the Brazilian states of Pernambuco and Rio de Janeiro are hosting this month the 5th Arab Women’s Film Festival, featuring films directed by Arab women filmmakers. The curators—Egypt’s Alia Ayman and Brazil’s Analu Bambirra and Carol Almeida—aim to offer audiences a reflection on the Arab world, with a free program almost entirely composed of premiere screenings.
In Recife, Pernambuco state, screenings begin on Wednesday (13) and run until August 17 at the Joaquim Nabuco Foundation (Fundaj Derby) and Cine São Luiz. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro city, Niterói and Duque de Caxias will host the festival from August 22 to 30 at the Banco do Brasil Cultural Center (CCBB RJ), Cine Arte UFF, FEBF/UERJ, and partner public schools.
According to materials released by the organizers, this edition aims to offer a critical reflection on images as living archives of history. “In a context marked by extreme violence orchestrated by Israel against the Palestinian people and attempts at institutional silencing of the horror, the Festival positions itself as a space of resistance and solidarity through cinema,” the curators are quoted as saying.
In addition to film screenings, there will be roundtables, Q&A sessions, exclusive screenings for students, and an online masterclass called “The Path to the Archive,” which requires prior registration and is open to participants across Brazil. The masterclass will be led by Lebanese director Rania Stephan, whose films have been shown at major festivals, and who will share her career journey and creative process.
The festival also aims to foster dialogue between Arab and Brazilian films through an initiative called Brazil-Arab Solidarity. For example, in Recife, Palestinian film Slingshot Hip Hop (J. Reem Salloum), which depicts cultural resistance through hip hop, will be screened alongside Pernambuco film Sua Majestade, o Passinho (Mannu Costa and Carol Correia), which explores the power of dance in Brazilian favelas.
According to the organizers, highlights include premiere films Queens (Yasmine Benkiran, Morocco/France, 2022) and Sudan, Remember Us (Hind Meddeb, France, 2024), the latter with an exclusive screening in Recife. The showcase will also feature Beast Type Song (Sophia Al-Maria, France/UK), Dancing Palestine (Lamees Almakkawy, Palestine/UK), and Neo Nahda (May Ziadé, UK).
More details are available on the festival’s website and Instagram page.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
