Recommended routes through the festival
There are several ways to approach the festival program. If you are unsure how to plan your schedule, we have two recommended routes you can follow throughout this year's festival.
Route 1: The most acclaimed films
Are you interested in the absolute highlights of what’s moving in Arab cinema? Here, we have gathered the most critically acclaimed and award-winning films in the program.
Thursday 19.03
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Start the festival with one of the highlights from last year's Cannes Film Festival. Here ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA was screened in the Main Competition, and the directors Tarzan and Arab Nasser won the award for Best Directors
The film is screened in Vika 3 at 17.15. Read more and buy tickets here.
Friday 20.03
THE LITTLE SISTER
On Friday, we recommend starting your evening with THE LITTLE SISTER. The film is a powerful portrait of Fatima, who moves away from her close-knit French-Algerian family in Paris. When she discovers an attraction to women, her sense of loyalty to her beloved Muslim family is put to the test. This compelling coming-of-age drama had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last year, where it won the Best Actress award and the Queer Palm prize.
The film is screened in Vika 1 at 18.00. Read more and buy tickets here.
A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD
Later that same evening, we recommend the wonderful romantic drama A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD. The film follows the relationship between Nino and Yasmina, who are repeatedly drawn to each other over the course of three decades. It had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award, and it also won the Aurora Prize earlier this year – the most prestigious honour at the Tromsø International Film Festival.
The film is screened in Vika 1 at 20.45. Read more and buy tickets here.
Saturday 21.03
ALL THAT'S LEFT OF YOU
On Saturday, we recommend MITT PALESTINA (My Palestine), a beautiful portrayal of the life of a Palestinian family from Al-Nakba in 1948 to the late 1980s, when a new tragedy strikes. Before the screening on Saturday, Rima Iraki will read from her book, Flukten fra Palestina – min norsk-palestinske familiehistorie. The film has been shown at festivals worldwide and has been celebrated as one of the most important and best Palestinian films of the past year.
The film is screened in Vika 1 at 14.30. Read more and buy tickets here.
THE PRESIDENT'S CAKE
As the second film on Saturday, we recommend the Iraqi film THE PRESIDENT'S CAKE. The story follows nine-year-old Lamia, the unlucky winner of an annual tradition: a child is chosen to bake a cake for President Saddam Hussein. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the top prize in the Directors’ Fortnight, the festival’s Audience Award. It was also selected as Iraq’s Oscar entry.
Before the film, you can also join a wine tasting in Vikakjelleren starting at 16.00. Read more about the wine tasting here.
The film is screened in Vika 2 at 18.00. Read more and buy tickets here.
EL SETT
On Saturday evening, the magnificent biopic EL SETT will be screened, telling the story of the legendary superstar Umm Kulthum. The film is a visually stunning and epic portrayal of one of the most important figures in Arab culture.
After the film, we recommend stopping by the club night at Ingensteds – you can read more about it here.
The film is screened at 20.00. Read more and buy tickets here.
Sunday 22.03
CALLE MALAGA
Start your Sunday with CALLE MALAGA, a film about María, an elderly Spanish woman living in Tangier. When her financially struggling daughter decides to sell her mother’s apartment, María refuses to leave her childhood home. The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival last year and won the Audience Award at the Tromsø International Film Festival earlier this year.
The film is screened in Vika 1 at 15.00. Read more and buy tickets here.
THE STORIES
Gikk du glipp av festivalens åpningsfilm, THE STORIES, har du mulighet til å se den igjen på festivalens siste dag. Filmen er en herlig familiekrønike satt til Egypt, regissert av Abu Bakr Shawky, som tidligere stod bak publikumsfavoritten YOMEDDINE.
The film is screened in Vika 1 at 18.00. Read more and buy tickets here.
PALESTINE 36
End the festival with Palestine’s Oscar entry, PALESTINE 36. The film is a unique story set in 1936, a year of uprising, political awakening, and the struggle for self-determination in Palestine. At its centre is a Palestinian family navigating the growing tensions in the country. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and won the Audience Award at the Tokyo and São Paulo film festivals.
The film is screened in Vika 1 at 20.30. Read more and buy tickets here.
Route 2: Festival Exclusives
Do you want to dive deeper and watch films you won’t find anywhere else but at the festival? This route offers a wide range of films that explore personal journeys, like LIFE AFTER SIHAM and SINK, as well as stories of resilience in communities and groups, such as DO YOU LOVE ME and RASHID, THE BOY FROM SINJAR.
Thursday 19.03
DO YOU LOVE ME
On opening day, we recommend Lana Daher’s portrait of her home country, DO YOU LOVE ME, a unique documentary woven together from news footage, film clips, popular music, and home videos. Through this collage, the film creates a collective memory for Lebanon and its people. The film premiered in the Venice Days section at the Venice Film Festival.
The film is screened in Vika 4 at 17.30. Read more and buy tickets here.
Fredag 20.03
COTTON QUEEN
On Friday, start your evening with the stunning Sudanese coming-of-age drama COTTON QUEEN. The film follows young Nafisa, who decides to save her village’s cotton fields from a new form of colonialism. It premiered in the Critics’ Week section at the Venice Film Festival and is the first feature film from Sudan written and directed by a woman.
The film is screened in Vika 3 at 18.30. Read more and buy tickets here.
HIJRA
On Friday evening, we recommend the Saudi Arabian film, HIJRA. The story follows a pilgrimage to Mecca that takes an unexpected turn in the early 2000s. The film is a visually striking tale and a powerful story of female resilience.
The film is screened in Vika 4 at 20.45. Read more and buy tickets here.
Saturday 21.03
RASHID, THE BOY FROM SINJAR
This documentary follows young Rashid, who survived years in IS prisons as a child. As a teenager, he dreams of a better future, but peace is uncertain, and hatred toward the Kurds is returning. The film had its world premiere at the prestigious documentary film festival IDFA.
The film is screened in Vika 4 at 13.30. Read more and buy tickets here.
LIFE AFTER SIHAM
On the same day, you can also watch the documentary LIFE AFTER SIHAM. This touching and sometimes humorous film follows the director’s personal journey –using cinema as a tool – to process the loss of their mother.
Before the film, you can also join a wine tasting in Vikakjelleren starting at 16:00. Read more about the wine tasting here.
The film is screened in Vika 4 at 18.00. Read more and buy tickets here.
Sunday 22.03
SINK
On the final day of the festival, you can see the Jordanian drama SINK. The film follows a mother who won't accept her son's declining mental health. She clings to the belief that all he needs is direction in life, even as the warning signs continue to multiply.
The film is screened in Vika 2 at 18.45. Read more and buy tickets here.
WHERE THE WIND COMES FROM
Close out the festival with the Tunisian drama WHERE THE WIND COMES FROM. The film is a visually stunning road movie about friendship, and an homage to Tunisia's youth in the time after the Arab Spring.
The film is screened in Vika 2 at 21.00. Read more and buy tickets here.