Latest news with #MahdiFleifel
Time Out Abu Dhabi
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out Abu Dhabi
There's a seriously cool film festival happening in Abu Dhabi this week
Clear your calendars and prepare to lean into the art of storytelling, because CineMAS 2025 is back and it's bringing serious indie film energy to Manarat Al Saadiyat. Running from May 26 to June 1, this weeklong festival of independent cinema isn't just about watching movies – it's about sparking conversations, honouring heritage, unpacking identities and maybe even rethinking your place in the world. Split into seven themed days, CineMAS 2025 sets the stage for daring films curated by some of the region's sharpest cinematic minds. It all kicks off with Moral Frictions on Monday – a programme shaped by Triplets on Set – which dissects institutional decay through the eyes of beleaguered educators in The Teacher's Lounge and About Dry Grasses. It's the kind of viewing that leaves your mind racing long after the credits roll. Tuesday's Hidden Truths, curated by Arab Film Studio, lifts the veil on the intimate corners of Emirati life, with a selection of shorts that tackle everything from loss to shame with a raw emotional punch. These aren't just stories – they're lived experiences turned into visual poetry. Midweek, things get environmental. Earth, Unmuted, from The Climate Tribe, serves up a climate reality check with the haunting Invisible Demons and the award-winning Honeyland, reminding us that climate collapse isn't future fiction – it's already here and it's human-made. By Thursday, it's all about roots. Ancestral Echoes brings heritage to the forefront with Rituals: Memories of a Wedding and The Way of Our Ancestors, a gentle, evocative call to remember who we are and where we came from – and maybe light a candle for what we've forgotten. Friday tightens the emotional screws with Pressure Point, curated by Like Minds. Saudi noir Mandoob sits alongside the chaotic charm of Be Kind, Rewind, creating a space where memory, labour and grief collide in unexpected ways. Saturday leans into duplicity with Double Lives, a gritty double bill tracing fractured identities and collapsing systems from Algiers to Hong Kong. Think crime, corruption and loyalties hanging by a thread. The festival closes on a high – or rather, a haunting – with Futures on Hold from NYUAD, featuring three Arab films that confront statelessness and disillusionment head-on. Mahdi Fleifel's To A Land Unknown, Laila Abbas's razor-sharp Thank You for Banking with Us and Scandar Copti's Happy Holidays are each an aching reminder of what happens when identity becomes unstable ground. Beyond the screen, CineMAS 2025 also delivers side events like DINE W/ME, Creative Circle and Like Minds Gatherings, turning Manarat Al Saadiyat into a creative ecosystem pulsing with bold ideas, new voices and much-needed dialogue. So if you're tired of sequels and superhero fatigue, CineMAS 2025 is your passport to something real – challenging, local, urgent and unforgettable. From Dhs30. Mon May 26 to Sun June 1. Manarat Al Saadiyat. More going on in Abu Dhabi UAE residents can now save big time on flights thanks to a new Skyscanner feature No complaints here You can now get a robotaxi from Zayed International Airport Trips to the airport just got an upgrade Abu Dhabi's best restaurants: Everywhere you should eat at least once Your dinner inspo is sorted 20 incredibly fun ways to explore Abu Dhabi after dark The city is at its most fascinating once the sun goes down
Broadcast Pro
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Hong Kong Int'l Film Festival to screen Red Sea Foundation-supported films
Red Sea Film Foundation-backed films 'Yunan', 'To a Land Unknown', 'To Kill a Mongolian Horse' and 'Yalla Parkour' are set to be showcased. The 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) has announced its 2025 lineup, featuring several films backed by the Red Sea Film Foundation, including Ameer Fakher Eldin's Yunan, Mahdi Fleifel's To a Land Unknown, Xiaoxuan Jiang's To Kill a Mongolian Horse and Areeb Zuaiter's documentary Yalla Parkour. Scheduled to take place from April 10 to 21, the festival will highlight nearly 200 films from 69 countries, including six world premieres, two international premieres and 52 Asian premieres, with over 300 screenings planned. Among the notable selections, Yunan—the second installment in Fakher Eldin's HOME trilogy—follows a disillusioned Arab writer who, contemplating suicide, retreats to a remote North Sea island, where an encounter with an elderly woman rekindles his desire to live. Fleifel's To a Land Unknown portrays the struggles of two immigrants seeking a way out of Athens, while Meryam Joobeur's Who Do I Belong To delves into themes of identity and conflict as a Tunisian mother grapples with the unexpected return of her son from Syria. Making her feature-length debut, Zuaiter directs Yalla Parkour, a documentary that intertwines her search for belonging with the story of Ahmed, a parkour athlete in Gaza. The film, an international co-production involving Sweden, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Palestine, premiered at the Berlinale's Panorama section earlier this year. Jiang's To Kill a Mongolian Horse, a drama set in Inner Mongolia, is also among the featured selections. Produced by Da Huang Pictures, the film represents a collaboration between Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan and the United States. HKIFF 2025 will open with the world premieres of The Brightest Sun by Japan's Tetsuya Nakashima and Pavane for an Infant by Malaysia's Chong Keat Aun. The festival will conclude with Norway's Dreams (Sex Love) by Dag Johan Haugerud, which recently won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale.
CairoScene
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Palestinian Film 'To a Land Unknown' to Screen at Berlin's ALFILM Fest
The film, which follows a Palestinian refugee's struggle in Athens, will feature in the 16th edition of Berlin's Arab Film Festival. Mar 16, 2025 Palestinian filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel's latest feature, 'To a Land Unknown', will be screened at the 16th edition of ALFILM, Berlin's Arab Film Festival, running from April 23rd to April 30th, 2025. The film, which has garnered critical acclaim since its debut, explores themes of displacement, survival, and the lengths one man will go to seek justice. Set in Athens, 'To a Land Unknown' follows a Palestinian refugee who, after being scammed by a smuggler, embarks on a relentless quest for revenge. The film stars Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbagh, and Angeliki Papoulia, and is directed by Mahdi Fleifel, a Dubai-born Palestinian-Danish filmmaker whose work has earned BAFTA and Palme d'Or nominations. The film premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Directors' Fortnight section. It has since won multiple awards, including the Fischer Audience Award at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and the Silver Yusr Prize at the Red Sea Film Festival.
CairoScene
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Red Sea International Film Festival Announces 5th Edition Dates
Last year's festival showcased 125 films from 50 countries, with 49 regional premieres and 10 world premieres. The fifth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) is officially set to take place in Jeddah's Al-Balad district from December 4th to the 13th, 2025. Last year's round showcased 125 films from 50 countries, with 49 regional premieres and 10 world premieres. Notable films included 'The Red Sons', a Tunisian film by Lotfi Achour that won the Golden Crescent, and 'To an Unknown Land', a Palestinian film by Mahdi Fleifel that took home the Silver Crescent. High profile attendees included stars like Will Smith, Johnny Depp, and director Spike Lee, who served as the jury chair. This year, the festival will continue focusing on filmmakers from the Middle East, Africa, and the Global South with a mix of screenings, panels, and networking events. Both industry professionals and audiences alike will once again have the chance to view a wide range of films, including those from emerging voices in both regional and international cinema.
