The winter of 2023 witnesses the participation of 15 films from different countries of the Arab world in 3 of the largest film festivals in the world, which are Rotterdam, Sundance and Berlin, and many Arab filmmakers record their strong presence in various prestigious film festivals, whether through their films that compete for major awards or Through their future projects that participate in the development laboratories and markets of the film industry sponsored by these festivals.

Berlin International Film Festival

The Berlin International Film Festival, the Cannes International Film Festival, and the Venice International Film Festival are known as the Big Three in film festival circles, as they are the oldest, oldest, and most important festivals in the world. Participation in one of its sections or competitions is considered a seal of quality for any film.

In its 73rd session, which is scheduled to be held from February 16 to 26, the Berlin Film Festival will include 5 Arab films: “The Burdened” by Yemeni director Amr Gamal, who is participating in the Panorama section.

The film is based on a true story that takes place in Aden, Yemen, about a married couple and their three children after they lose their jobs due to an economic crisis. The film is produced by Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.

Poster for the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival (festival site)

Also in the panorama section, the Syrian documentary film "Under the Sky of Damascus" directed by Heba Khaled, Talal Derky and Ali Wajih will be shown.

Concrete Valley is another Syrian film participating in the Forum section. It is a feature film about a Syrian couple trying to adapt in a new society after immigrating to Canada.

The "Forum Expanded Exhibition" section includes two other films, "Comrade leader, comrade leader, how nice to see you" directed by the Lebanese Walid Raad, and it tells about the waterfalls of Lebanon. It was named and renamed several times by the militias involved in the Lebanese Civil War depending on their shifting alliances.

The second film is "On this shore, here" by Egyptian visual artist and director Yasmina Metwally.

Rotterdam International Film Festival

The Rotterdam Film Festival 2023 started on January 25 and continues until February 5. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious international film festivals, and has the lion's share of Arab films that participated in various sections and competitions in its 52nd session.

7 Arab films participated, including 3 that were selected to compete in the official competition of the festival, which is the Tunisian film "Geology of Separation", directed by Yusor Kasimi and Mauro Mazzocchi.

Rotterdam International Film Festival 2023 poster (festival website)

The film tells the story of Abd al-Rahman, an immigrant who fled violence in Libya and is awaiting permission to stay in Italy, and the Moroccan film “Bird land” by Laila Kilani, which tells about a wealthy family who lives near Tangiers in a site surrounded by a forest, and the mothers of the family want to clear The land is sold, but the children and grandchildren relate to it in a completely mystical way.

As for the next film, it is “Thiird” by the Lebanese director Karim Kassem. It tells about Fouad, the quiet man who runs a mechanical garage and sits with his customers to drink coffee while they wait for their cars to be repaired. The garage turns into a haven for people to express their increasing despair over the economic collapse that surrounds them.

3 other films are shown within the activities of the “Limelight” section, which sheds light on the most important cinematic productions of the previous year, and includes the films “The Blue Caftan” by Moroccan director Maryam Touzani, and “Kira Wal Jinn” by Egyptian director Marwan Hamed. It stars a group of the brightest Egyptian stars, including Karim Abdel Aziz, Ahmed Ezz and Hind Sabri, and finally the Palestinian film “A House in Jerusalem” directed by Moayad Alyan.

As for the short film competition, Lebanese director Rawan Nassef will participate in her film "Ode to Loneliness".

Sundance International Film Festival

The Sundance Film Festival, which was held from January 19 to 29, the largest American independent film festival and one of the most important international festivals in the world, witnessed a distinguished Arab presence through the participation of 3 films in 3 different competitions.

The film “With Us” (Animalia), by Moroccan director Sofia Alaoui, participated in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition program and won the Special Jury Prize for Creative Vision.

The film tells the story of a young woman who lives with her husband's family during her pregnancy, and as the date of delivery approaches, the husband goes on a business trip, then a series of unexpected events begins.

In the "Cinema of the World: Documentary Films" section, the film "5 Seasons of Revolution" by Syrian director Lina participated.

2023 Sundance Festival poster (festival website)

The film tells an autobiographical story about its director during the beginnings of the revolutionary protests in Syria, where Lina learned to adopt multiple identities to avoid falling into the grip of the state and the ability to continue living and record the events of the revolution in Syria.

The third movie is "Simo" by the Canadian-Egyptian director Aziz Zorumba, who participated in the short film competition.

The year 2023 began with this relatively large number of cinematic works from different countries of the Arab world, and it is expected that more festivals will announce their programs for this year in succession, such as the Cannes, Venice, Toronto and other festivals, which will certainly include distinguished Arab works added to this list.