21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Back to Alexandria to open Toronto Arab Film Festival 2025 - Screens - Arts & Culture
Back to Alexandria (2023), starring Nadine Labaki, will open the sixth edition of the Toronto Arab Film Festival from 20 to 29 June.
Directed by Tamer Ruggli, Back to Alexandria (Retour en Alexandrie) follows Sue (Labaki), who returns to her native Egypt from Switzerland, only to confront her painful past—and the woman she left behind.
The film is a France–Switzerland–Egypt co-production co-written by Marianne Brun, Yousry Nasrallah, and Ruggli. It also stars Fanny Ardant, Hany Adel, Karima Mansour, Menha Batraoui, and Hazem Ehab.
Released in 2023, the 90-minute film earned several nominations, including the Golden Eye Award at the Zurich Film Festival and the Tiantan Awards at the Beijing International Film Festival.
Back to Alexandria is among several Egyptian titles featured in this year's Toronto Arab Film Festival lineup.
Other Egyptian films screening at the festival include:
Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo (2024) by Khaled Mansour
Apoleon (2024) by Amir Youssef
by Amir Youssef Dawn Every Day (2024) by Amir Youssef
Mango (2024) by Randa Ali
Are You a Rabbit? (2024) by Hatem Emam
A City Without Love (2024) by Mostafa Gerbeii
Catsaros (2025) by Muhammad El-Hadidi
The 2025 edition will showcase over 50 films from across the Arab world, spanning genres from drama and documentary to sci-fi and experimental works.
The Toronto Arab Film Festival—the first of its kind in Canada's largest city—aims to present and promote pan-Arab cinema by Arab filmmakers from around the globe.
According to the festival's organizers, its goal is to 'encourage interconnectedness between Arab filmmakers in Toronto and foster emerging talent,' primarily through its Shabaka initiative, which hosts networking events and filmmaking workshops throughout the year.
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