Arab Film Fest: 10 Days of Cinema + 40+ Film Screenings (Nov. 5-14)

Sharif Ezzat / Arab Film Festival

The 30th Arab Film Festival opens on Thursday November 5th with El Sett, Marwan Hamed’s sweeping portrait of Umm Kulthum, the most iconic Arab singer of all time.

The program spans 10 days, presenting over 40 films from 26 countries, over 30 directed by women, and includes opportunities to get together, industry and community panels, a workshop, and more.

Arab Film Festival
November 5-14, 2026
San Francisco, Bay Area
Tickets start at $20 General Admission | Select programs will also be simultaneously presented online

Take some time to browse the festival schedule and plan which films to watch and events to attend.

Here are some highlights:

• On Sunday Nov. 8th, join us at the Castro Theatre for the Bay Area Premiere of Edward Said: Between Worlds, directed by Maiken Baird. The screening will be followed by a panel with the filmmakers and Edward Said’s family, moderated by Dr. Ussama Makdisi.
• Watch four films submitted by their respective countries for an Oscar (Palestine, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan)
• Enjoy an outdoor screening of Spices & Lies at AFF Under the Stars
• Watch a true Arab Classic and one of Cinemayaat’s 100 Greatest Arab Films of All Time, Chronicle of a Disappearance by Elia Suleiman
• In the South Bay? Catch two of the festival’s films at the Alamo Drafthouse in San Jose
• Watch American Doctor and hear directly from one of the doctors, Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, who will join us in conversation after the film in Oakland
• Don’t miss closing night movie, Only Rebels Win by Danielle Arbid

$25 Encore Screening: “El Sett” w/ Mona Zaki  – Opening night

November 5, 2026 | 10:15p
General Admission – $45 ($25 for the 10:15pm encore screening)

The 6pm Opening Night screening is almost sold out, so we opened an Encore Screening for all night owls who want to watch El Sett!

PLEASE NOTE: The Encore Screening is offered at a reduced price because it includes only the movie (there won’t be a program before or a performance after)

You are invited to join us in your best attire, just like you would have dressed to see Umm Kulthum perform at her legendary 1967 performance at Paris’s Olympia! Let’s transform the evening into a memorable tribute to the most iconic Arab singer of all times.

This screening is also included as part of our VIP & Festival Passes. We recommend all pass holders reserve a ticket to ensure their place should this event sell out.

About EL SETT

Starring Mona Zaki as Umm Kulthum, the film traces her extraordinary journey from a childhood singing in rural Egypt, where she performed disguised as a boy, to her rise as the Arab world’s most iconic voice. The story culminates around her historic 1967 performance at Paris’s Olympia, while exploring the ambition, sacrifice, resilience, and defiance of social conventions that shaped her remarkable life.

More than the story of a musical legend, El Sett is a portrait of a woman whose voice became inseparable from the cultural and political life of a generation. Its themes of artistic power, female ambition, identity, and Arab cultural memory make the film a fitting opening to this year’s Festival.

 

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The flagship event of the Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI), the Arab Film Festival is the longest running and largest independent festival of its kind in North America.

For all details and screenings please visit us at arabfilmfestival.org

 

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