A South Belfast community cinema is hosting Northern Ireland's first ever Arab language film festival next month.
The Ormeau Community Cinemas will be holding the event from Thursday, May 5, to Sunday, May 8, at various locations in the hopes of reconnecting people with the Arab world and its culture.
Festival director Rabie Mustapha moved to Belfast in 2020 from Lebanon and said that his involvement with the cinema has helped him settle in the city and connect with other people, and hopes that this festival will help others do the same.
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Rabie, started his involvement with the Ormeau Community Cinema around one year ago and feels it is a fantastic way to bring people together and enjoy film in new and creative ways.
Speaking to Belfast Live, he said that the festival is designed to help break down stereotypes and help people to learn about the culture of the Arab world and its people.
He said: "I moved to the Ormeau area around a year ago and quickly became involved with the community cinema. As a filmmaker myself it has always been a passion of mine and it has a fantastic group of people who are keen to help people enjoy films in new and creative ways.
"The film festival is something that I wanted to do personally as I miss watching films in the Arab language, but I also want to share these with people in the community here and hopefully help them to better understand their Arabic neighbours in South Belfast.
"These films have all been made by Arabic speakers in their home country and help to break stereotypes that some people may have and show the culture and people in a very different light. Wajib, a Palestinian comedy, is an example of this because it is perhaps not something that you would imagine to see made there. It has certain political tones to it but it is not a film about sadness and conflict which most may expect.
"We’re also showing a thriller Theeb from Jordan, a Lebanese drama Memory Box and a Sudanese documentary about cinema called Talking About Trees.”
The festival will be held in a number of venues including the Pavilion bar, Ballynafeigh Methodist Church, Masonic Lodge and an outdoor screening at Choice Housing.
OCC Founder Dominic O’Neill said: “We like to use different venues as it’s important for people to discover new places in their community. It’s part of our ethos to make sure everyone feels welcome at our screenings, having cultural experiences and meeting new people in a relaxed environment.”
Rabie added: “ We want to connect with people from the Arab world through this festival. We’re reaching out to a number of organisations working with Arab people in Belfast and personally for me, it will be a nice opportunity for me to meet more Arab people here. We hope to see a diverse audience where everyone will feel welcome.”
Tickets are on sale now and entry is free for refugees and asylum seekers. More information about events and tickets can be found on Ormeau Community Cinema’s social media channels.
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