Malmo, April 22, 2024.
The Malmo Arab Film Festival opened its fourteenth edition on Monday, April 22, in the Swedish city of Malmo, amid enthusiasm from the audience and a large attendance of Arab and Scandinavian cinema professionals and stars.
On the red carpet at the opening, held at the Royal Cinema, one of the largest cinemas in Sweden, festival guests, including Arab cinema stars and filmmakers, walked with Egyptian director Khairy Beshara leading them, who was honored by the festival.
Amidst the enthusiastic audience, who came from several Swedish cities, the opening ceremony began with a speech by the Mayor of Malmo, Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, welcoming the festival guests and thanking the Malmo Arab Film Festival and its founder, Mouhamad Keblawi, expressing her happiness to present this edition. She said, “The festival started in 2011 and has evolved to become the most important Arab cinema festival outside the Arab region,” praising the festival’s support for women’s voices and the promotion of a culture of diversity and equality that the city cares about. She added, “There is no doubt that the festival has become part of the city’s culture.”
Founder – Management and Artistic Consultant, director Mouhamad Keblawi, welcomed the festival guests in his speech and thanked the Mayor of Malmo for her opening remarks, inviting guests and the audience to “enjoy watching the latest Arab cinematic productions over the next seven days.” He added, “The Malmo Arab Film Festival has become an annual center in southern Sweden for Arab filmmakers, producers, directors, and critics to exchange knowledge and establish cinematic partnerships, where the festival and its days work as a platform to enrich culture and promote understanding.” He also expressed his deep gratitude to the Municipality of Malmo, the Region of Skåne, the Skåne Film Fund, and the Swedish Film Institute for supporting the festival, as well as thanking all sponsors and supporters. At the end of his speech, Keblawi introduced the festival Executive Director, Mohamad Abo Whatfa.
In turn, festival Executive Director Mohamad Abo Whatfa welcomed the audience and presented the festival program, introducing the jury members.
Honoring Director Khairy Beshara
Then, the Founder – Management and Artistic Consultant, director Mouhamad Keblawi, honored the Egyptian director Khairy Beshara for his creative works, as he played a role in redefining realism in Egyptian cinema. Beshara directed numerous narrative and documentary films that have won several awards. He also directed three musical plays, and his first novel, “Chinese Pride,” was published in 2023.
Beshara expressed his happiness and gratitude to the Malmo Arab Film Festival and its founder, Mouhamad Keblawi, for this honor, especially as it is his first visit to Sweden, recalling a previous opportunity when he was young, saying, “Malmo brought me back to the age of 21. I love you, Malmo.”
Composer and artist Mohammed Habbash was also honored for composing the music for the Malmo Arab Film Festival.
Designer Maher Mzowak was honored for designing the festival logo and continuously developing it to its current form.
Opening Film
Following the opening speeches and honors, the Sudanese opening film “Goodbye Julia” was screened, attended by the film’s director and writer Mohamed Kordofani, Swedish producer Issraa Elkogali Häggström, film editor Heba Othman, and co-screenwriter Khaled Al-Walid. The film stars Eiman Yousif, Siran Riak, and Nazar Goma. The film received the development award during the MAFF Industry Days in 2021 and has won several awards during its international screening journey.
Reception at the City Hall
After the opening film, festival guests and invitees moved to the City Hall for a dinner reception, where they were welcomed by the Deputy Mayor of the city and the head of the Culture Committee in the Municipality of Malmo, Janne Grönholm, who welcomed the festival guests.
The fourteenth edition of the festival activities continues from April 22 to 28, 2024, in the Swedish city of Malmo and several other cities, including the Danish capital, Copenhagen. The program includes 26 films (12 feature films and 14 short films) participating in the official competitions. Several Swedish cities will host Arab Nights screenings, including four Saudi films, organized in collaboration with the Saudi Film Commission and Close-Up company, with six screenings in cities (Umeå, Helsingborg, Gothenburg, the capital Stockholm, Malmo, and the Danish capital Copenhagen).
The tenth edition of the Malmo Film Days, the festival’s program dedicated to supporting Arab cinema and encouraging joint production between the world and Nordic countries, will kick off on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Thirty-eight projects from sixteen countries are presented for participation in the grants program. The festival will select fourteen projects representing fourteen countries to compete in three categories: short film development, feature film development, and post-production stage. The films compete for ten valuable monetary and in-kind prizes.
