Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival: A spotlight on Arab cinema

A platform for emerging Arab filmmakers

The Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival is set to showcase a diverse array of film and documentary projects from various Arab countries. This initiative, part of the Cinemed and Aflamuna Professional Encounters, is organized in collaboration with the Beirut-based cultural nonprofit Aflamuna. The event aims to connect Arab filmmakers with French and international industry professionals, fostering co-productions and collaborative opportunities.

Supporting Arab cinema through collaboration

Supported by France’s National Film Board CNC, this program offers a unique platform for feature film professionals from Arab countries to engage with decision-makers and industry experts. The goal is to stimulate co-productions and other forms of collaboration, enhancing the visibility and reach of Arab cinema.

A gathering of talent

Emerging directors and producers from Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, and Morocco will participate in the Cinemed Meetings on October 22-23 in Montpellier, France. This event is a testament to the growing relevance of the collaboration between Cinemed and Aflamuna.

“For this third edition of Cinemed and Aflamuna Professional Encounters, we are more than confident of the relevance of our collaboration with Aflamuna,” said Montpellier fest director Christophe Leparc. He highlighted that the initiative has already resulted in at least three projects being signed with French co-producers.

Highlighting selected projects

Below are the selected projects and their synopses, showcasing the rich storytelling and diverse perspectives of Arab filmmakers.

Al-Madeeneh

Director: Yousef Assabahi
Producer: Alaa Amer (Yemen)
Genre: Fiction

In the old town of Al-Madeeneh, Fuad, the last construction worker of a dying craft, faces debt and homelessness while townspeople chase hidden riches. Navigating hope and despair, Fuad confronts his town’s harsh realities.

Before Now, Later

Director: Karim Kassem (Lebanon)
Genre: Docu-fiction

In Beirut, a father leaves his car outside a hospital he has been visiting and gets a parking ticket. As he attempts to pay it, he realizes there is no way to do so.

The Cow Thief

Director: Mohamed Zedan
Producer: Mark Lotfi – Fig leaf Studio (Egypt)
Genre: Docu-fiction

Zidan, a young director, investigates the murder of an Egyptian director from the 1980s, Niazi Mustafa, aiming to make a documentary that sheds light on this mysterious event.

Dwellers of the Cabins

Director: Hend Bakr
Producer: Tamer Nady – Cellar Door Studio (Egypt/Qatar)
Genre: Docu-fiction

Hend tries to discover the history of her people, the people of the cabins, Nubian families (Egyptian/Sudanese) who came from Nubia to the city of Alexandria.

My Dream to Fly

Director and Producer: Asmaa Gamal Gafrie – Rec & Roll (Egypt)
Genre: Documentary

Mansour, a frail 14-year-old boy, dreams of flying by developing his talent from lifting small bikes to motorcycles, emulating and joining the young men in his neighborhood on the outskirts of Cairo.

Noble

Director: Leyna Amly
Producer: Youssra Raouf – Abel Aflam (Morocco)
Genre: Documentary

After several failed attempts to reach Europe, Souleymane discovers permaculture in Morocco. While realizing that he has everything he needs to achieve a successful life in Africa, his younger brother drowns trying to cross the Mediterranean.

Red Bus in Baghdad

Director: Ali Mohammed Saeed
Producer: Mohammed Alghadhban – Rola Productions (Iraq/KSA/USA)
Genre: Fiction

After Muthanna, a 28-year-old bus driver, adopts a five-hour journey on the night of Saddam Hussein’s execution to rescue his brothers, he crosses into a perilous red zone, finding himself caught in the sectarian conflicts between militia Sunni leaders and Shiite forces.

Rock, Paper, Sea

Director: Randa Ali
Producer: Norah El Khateeb – Sifsafa (Egypt)
Genre: Fiction/Animation

When an 11-year-old’s father doesn’t come home for the summer, she embarks on a journey to uncover the mystery behind his absence, believing it’s all part of a surprise he prepared for her upcoming birthday.

Sabary

Director: Ahmed Shams Nagm Eldin
Producer: Alyaa Musa (Sudan)
Genre: Fiction

Oshaik is bullied and challenged to perform like the Beja warriors of the ancient east of Sudan. He follows Dawod, a retired Nuba wrestler, to the far mountains of west Sudan, uncovering the wisdom of the holistic traditions of Nuba wrestling.

Water Night

Director: Mohanad Salahat
Producer: Kassandra Smith – Sunbird Films (Palestine/Sweden)
Genre: Documentary

Water Nights is the story of a big Palestinian family, the director’s family, living in a small countryside town called Talluza and their daily and never-ending struggle with the supply of water in the shadow of an escalating occupation and haunting climate change.

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