The 28th annual Arab Film Festival is underway in San Francisco, marking its continued status as the oldest Arab film festival outside the Arab world.
The festival, which runs until Sunday, November 3, showcases the rich diversity and humanity of the Arab community through stories. The opening evening took place in the Center for Fine Arts.
Executive director Serge Bakalian, a Lebanese-Armenian American, prepares for the event all year long. He says the film can help people understand the varied cultures of the often misunderstood region of the Middle East.
“We define Arabic as an extremely inclusive term because the Arab world is so rich in diversity. And yet I feel like we are often seen through a very homogenous lens here in this country,” Bakalian said.
His dedication to expanding the perception of the Arab world is deeply personal.
“I’m from Lebanon, and as a ten year old I remember all the memories I had growing up in Beirut. And the only representations of what Beirut, or Lebanon, or even the Arab world, were scenes from Chuck Norris movies, and hostages, and actors speaking gibberish,” he recalled. “I realized early on how impactful the media was, especially film.”
The festival aims to empower Arab creatives and promote a deeper understanding of the complexities of the region.
This year’s opening film, ‘Life is Beautiful: A Letter to Gaza’, highlighted the deeper humanity found in communities often surrounded by conflict.
Creative director and Palestinian activist Alana Hadid expressed the emotional resonance of the stories shared and described the culture in an uplifting light.
“It makes me emotional. It’s joy. It’s giving. It’s love. If you look around this room, everyone here would give you the shirt off his or her back. They would tell you the story of their family,” said Hadid. “They cried with you, laughed with you and sympathized with you.”
Bakalian’s mission at the festival and the Arab Film and Media Institute focuses on promoting empathy and understanding, beyond divisive political narratives.
“You will see your jaw drop when I say that there are not only Arab Christians, but also that there are Arab Jews. There are also people who identify culturally, religiously. There are all kinds of different ethnicities and nationalities, including Armenians and Kurds. part of the larger, rich fabric of the Arab world and something we really make a point to represent and create a space for at the festival,” he stated.
The Arab Film Festival continues to serve as an essential platform for storytelling, bringing diverse voices and experiences together in a celebration of culture and creativity.
