The San Diego Arab Film Festival presents films from and about the Arab World. The Festival includes 8 screenings over 5 nights. Tickets may be purchased for each screening as well as for 2 packages at discounted prices, one package is a festival pass for all 8 screenings and one for 3 tickets of your choice. Also available for purchase is a Palestinian dinner (served cafeteria style) The menu varies for each night.

Tonight, the first screening includes the short An Orange From Jaffa and the feature film The Voice of Hind Rajab. The second screening includes the short Dawn Every Day and the feature film Where the Wind Comes From. The dinner menu is tagein, vegetables baked in tomato sauce with beef served over rice, and mujadarah, a traditional vegetarian Palestinian dish of lentils, rice and carmelized onion served with plain yogurt.

Screening #1 begins at 6:10 PM:

An Orange From Jaffa directed by Mohammed Almhghanni (27 min)

In this short film, Mohammed, a young Palestinian, embarks on a tense journey to cross an Israeli checkpoint with a temporary Polish identity card. After being turned down by other drivers, Farouk, a well-meaning taxi driver, offers him a ride. However, they soon encounter severe trouble when the checkpoint authorities discover Mohammed's previous failed attempt to cross. The film powerfully captures the oppressive reality of life under occupation and the personal costs involved.

The Voice of Hind Rajab directed by Kaouther Ben Hania (85 min)

Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 6-year old girl is trapped in a car under IDF fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her.

The Voice of Hind Rajab was the official submission to the Oscars from Tunisia and was nominated by the Academy for Best International Feature.

Screening #2 begins at 8:35 PM:

Dawn Every Day directed by Amir Yousef (20 min)

In this short film, set in 1956, 8 year old Nabil navigates through new social norms he cannot fathom that impact his next door best friend in post nationalized Egypt. Inspired by true events.

Where the Wind Comes From directed by Amel Guellaty (100 min)

A comedic ode to Tunisia's youth, TUNIS-DJERBA presents the story of Alyssa, a rebellious 19 year-old girl, and her friend Mehdi - a shy and introverted 23-year-old young man - who use their imagination to escape their unpromising reality. When they discover a contest in the south of Tunisia that may allow them to flee for real, they decide to undertake the road trip regardless of the obstacles in their way.

Dinner is available 5:15 PM until 8:35 PM.