Opening night at US Arab film festival draws large audience

The 28th edition of the Arab Film Festival in San Francisco, running from 24 October to 3 November, the oldest and largest event of its kind in the US, opened to a packed theatre Thursday evening, with standing ovations for filmmakers and musical performers.

The evening kicking off 11 days of Arab films took place at the Palace of Fine Arts in the city’s Marina district. Outside the auditorium, vendors sold handmade jewellery, pottery, T-shirts and soap, with one booth giving people the option to send a letter to someone in Gaza.

Before the start of the films and performances, festival organisers and filmmakers gave impassioned speeches about the importance of representation and storytelling.

Alana Hadid, founder of Watermelon Pictures, told the audience that she wants their films to do more than raise awareness, but also to bring people together and “change the narrative.”

The first film shown by Adam Habib was a short animation about the universal struggle trying to feel a sense of belonging. 

The feature film called Life is Beautiful: A Letter to Gaza is a personal narrative of a young filmmaker from Gaza, Mohamed Jabaly, who finds himself stuck in Norway during a cultural exchange trip while the Rafah border crossing is closed.

The story, narrated as a letter from Norway to his mother in Gaza, goes back and forth between the Mediterranean Sea and snowy streets in northern Europe, as he fights to extend his stay while also yearning for Gaza.

This was followed by two musical performances, one by a guitarist called Lunr, a Palestinian from Jordan, and rapper MC Abdul from Gaza, both bringing the audience to their feet, as they clapped and swayed to their music, wrapping up the first night of 11 days of Arab films.