This year’s Contemporary Arab Film Series spotlights a region still reckoning with the weight of its past and the uncertainty of its future. In Syria, after 55 years, the long shadow of the Assad regime has lifted. Lebanon inches towards reform with a new President and cabinet. In Gaza and Sudan war rages on, a relentless crisis with no clear end in sight. From these shifting landscapes come a vital selection of films—not just about survival, but also about agency, identity, and imagination.
Leadership support for
BAM’s strategic initiatives provided by:
Leadership support for
BAM Access Programs provided by
the Jerome L. Greene Foundation
Leadership support for
BAM programming provided by:
Leadership support for
BAM’s strategic initiatives provided by:
Leadership support for
BAM Film provided by
The Thompson Family Foundation
Major support for programs in
the Lepercq Cinema is provided by
The Lepercq Charitable Foundation
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FilmTo A Land Unknown
Wed, Jul 9, 2025
To A Land Unknown
Wed, Jul 9, 2025Two Palestinian cousins are saving to pay for fake passports to get out of Athens. But when one loses their hard-earned cash to his dangerous drug addiction, the other hatches an extreme plan. -
FilmThe Village Next to Paradise
Thu, Jul 10, 2025
The Village Next to Paradise
Thu, Jul 10, 2025In a windswept Somali village, a father, son, and aunt forge a fragile family existence amidst the constant threat of drone strikes in the debut feature by Somalian-Austrian director Mo Harawe. -
FilmDeath Without Mercy
Fri, Jul 11, 2025
Death Without Mercy
Fri, Jul 11, 2025Two Syrian families search for loved ones in the aftermath of a devastating 2023 earthquake that killed over 55,000 in Turkey and Syria, impeded by official incompetence and lack of humanitarian aid. -
FilmHappy Holidays
Sat, Jul 12, 2025
Happy Holidays
Sat, Jul 12, 2025Four members of a middle-class Arab family in Haifa share their unique realities, highlighting the complexities between genders, generations, and cultures. -
FilmIl Signore
Sat, Jul 12, 2025
Il Signore
Sat, Jul 12, 2025A Saudi engineer who pretends to be an Italian expert to work at a big company, exploiting corporate xenophilia, finds himself entangled with a dangerous gang in Aymen Khoja’s comedy. -
FilmKhartoum
Sat, Jul 12, 2025
Khartoum
Sat, Jul 12, 2025After fleeing war-torn Sudan, five Khartoum citizens reenact stories of survival and exile in a powerful, intimate portrait of resilience amid conflict, blending real footage with green-screen imagination. -
FilmThank You For Banking With Us
Jul 13—Jul 13, 2025
Thank You For Banking With Us
Jul 13—Jul 13, 2025After learning their late father left a huge sum of money behind, Mariam and Noura come up with an elaborate scheme to circumvent the patriarchal inheritance laws before their brother finds out. -
FilmTake My Breath
Jul 14—Jul 14, 2025
Take My Breath
Jul 14—Jul 14, 2025A 23-year-old seamstress is forced into a life steeped in secrecy and unimaginable pain that comes unraveled when their intersex identity is exposed, causing them to flee in search of refuge. -
FilmCoexistence, My Ass!
Tue, Jul 15, 2025
Coexistence, My Ass!
Tue, Jul 15, 2025Documentarian Amber Fares follows Israeli activist-comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi over five tumultuous years as she creates a one-woman show about the struggle for equality in Israel and Palestine. -
FilmAicha
Jul 16—Jul 16, 2025
Aicha
Jul 16—Jul 16, 2025Misfortune befalls Aicha, a young Tunisian woman, disillusioned by social diktats and conservatism, who doesn’t know yet that this tragedy will lead to an unexpected life-changing opportunity. -
FilmSnow White
Thu, Jul 17, 2025
Snow White
Thu, Jul 17, 2025Two Egyptian sisters dream of finding true love, but one faces an obvious obstacle as a Little Person, which puts her out of the running for an arranged marriage and also impacts her sister’s prospects.
