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23 June

28 Years Later

Running time: 115 mins

Academy Award®-winning director Danny Boyle and Academy Award®-nominated writer Alex Garland reunite for 28 Years Later, a terrifying new "auteur horror" story set in the world created by 28 Days Later. It's been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well. Contains a sequence of flashing lights which may affect viewers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy

Elio

Running time: 99 mins

Elio, an underdog with an active imagination, finds himself inadvertently beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide. Mistakenly identified as Earth's ambassador to the rest of the universe, he starts to form new bonds with eccentric aliens while discovering who he's truly meant to be.

A State of Passion + Q&A - SAFAR Film Festival 2025

Running time: 90 mins

After 43 horrific days working round the clock under constant bombardment in the emergency rooms of Gaza’s Al Shifa and Al Ahli hospitals, British-Palestinian reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah, emerged to find himself as a face of Palestinian resistance.

With news footage of him pale and shell-shocked reverberating around the world, he spoke of a catalogue of horrors from lacerated bodies, to amputations without anesthetics, orphaned children with no surviving family, and the deliberate targeting of medics and hospital facilities.

This was Ghassan’s sixth and most horrific Gaza “war”. Why does he do it? Where does he find the strength to face it again and again? How does it impact his family? How do they process the risks he takes? The answer lies simply in their shared passion: Palestine, a passion they articulate through their support of his perilous humanitarian work.

Filmmakers Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi, close friends of the Abu Sittahs, share that same passion. They were waiting anxiously for Ghassan to emerge from Gaza, following a long and terrifying journey through the night, to meet him in Amman. Determined to capture his raw emotions they began filming him the moment he arrived through the door. Following him to Beirut, Amman, London, Kuwait, and Dubai, they and he explore their common State of Passion.

Premiering at the 2024 Cairo International Film Festival and awarded the Saad Eldin Wahba Award for Best Arabic Film, A State of Passion offers a deeply human perspective on the cost of survival and the ongoing fight for dignity.

Content notes: this film contains graphic footage of war including torture, injury, surgery and, views of dead bodies.

About the festival:

SAFAR Film Festival is the UK’s leading platform for independent Arab cinema. 2025 marks its landmark 10th edition with screenings in 10 cities and online from from 11-28 June 2025. View the full programme on www.safarfilmfestival.co.uk or follow on @safarfilmfestival

SAFAR is organised by the Arab British Centre and is supported by the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery, the British Council, the Bagri Foundation, the Asfari Foundation, the City of London Corporation and Barjeel Art Foundation. Presented in partnership with Shubbak Festival.

Events

How to Train Your Dragon

Running time: 125 mins

A live-action adaptation of DreamWorks Animation's beloved 2010 animated film, directed by Dean DeBlois, who also helmed the original trilogy. Set on the rugged isle of Berk, the story follows Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Mason Thames), an inventive yet overlooked Viking teenager. In a society where dragons are feared and hunted, Hiccup defies tradition by befriending Toothless, a rare Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond challenges the longstanding enmity between Vikings and dragons, leading to a journey that could reshape their world.

Sinners

Running time: 147 mins

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back. You keep dancing with the devil, one day he's gonna follow you home. Written and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Coogler, Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan in a dual role, joined by Oscar-nominee Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O'Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, and Delroy Lindo.

The Ballad of Wallis Island

Running time: 100 mins

Charles (Tim Key), an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island and dreams of getting his favorite musicians, McGwyer Mortimer (Tom Basden & Carey Mulligan) back together. His fantasy turns into reality when the bandmates and former lovers accept his invitation to play a private show at his home on Wallis Island. Old tensions resurface as Charles tries desperately to salvage his dream gig.

The Phoenician Scheme

Running time: 101 mins

The story of a family and a family business. Starring: Benicio del Toro as Zsa-zsa Korda, one of the richest men in Europe; Mia Threapleton as Liesl, his daughter/a nun; Michael Cera as Bjorn, their tutor. With: Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis.

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