The upcoming edition of the Jerusalem Arab Film Festival will showcase 36 Arab films screening for the first time in Jerusalem, alongside a special focus on Sudanese cinema and specialized masterclasses.
The Jerusalem Arab Film Festival has revealed the details of its sixth edition, scheduled to run from July 28 to August 2, 2026. This year, the festival operates under the theme “Life and Continuity,” deliberately focusing on films that bring joy, warmth, and laughter.
The curatorial choice aims to present Jerusalem as a city pulsing with life, celebrating the resilience found in everyday moments like birth, love, marriage, and community.
This thematic direction heavily influences the official festival poster, designed as a visual statement on heritage. The festival’s name is styled in traditional Palestinian embroidery stitches, symbolizing knowledge passed down through generations of women, interwoven with olive branches.
The design also features a prominent verse by the late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, using the olive tree as a symbol of identity, memory, and connection to the land.
Diverse Screenings and Panel Discussions
The festival lineup features 36 Arab feature films, documentaries, and shorts, all making their Jerusalem debut. These selections represent a wide array of artistic styles and production backgrounds, offering audiences a direct look at contemporary Arab cinema.
Beyond the screenings, the festival will host several panel discussions exploring visual history and cultural heritage. Key sessions include “How Do We Read Jerusalem Through the Archive?” and “Women, Fabric, and Cinema: The Visual Memory of the Palestinian Woman,” which connect directly with the theme of the official poster.
To bridge geographical divides, the festival will organize a series of virtual talks. These online sessions will connect local audiences with emerging filmmakers and actors from Palestine and abroad, creating a space for the exchange of industry experiences.
Sudanese Cinema Focus and Remote Judging
A major highlight of the sixth edition is a dedicated program spotlighting Sudanese cinema. This section will feature the screening of a restored version of the documentary “Dislocation of Amber” by the late Sudanese director Hussein Shariffe, considered a classic of the region’s cinematic history.
Participating films will compete for awards in the best film and jury prize categories. Because jury members are unable to travel to Jerusalem due to ongoing restrictions, an international panel of Arab film experts will screen and judge the entries remotely.
Festival screenings and events will be hosted across various cultural hubs in the city, including the Palestinian National Theatre (Al-Hakawati), the French Cultural Center, and the Dar Al-Tifel Al-Arabi Museum.
New Training Opportunities
For the first time, the festival is introducing an advanced workshop in screen acting, alongside a series of masterclasses aimed at local filmmakers looking to develop their technical skills.
Registration for these specialized workshops will open soon on the festival’s official platforms, and prior booking will be mandatory due to limited capacity.
