Arab Cinema Week Volume 5 runs from 5 to 11 June 2026 at Cinema Akil.
The programme features nine films from ten Arab countries.
This year’s edition includes a special focus on Lebanesae cinema.
The cultural showcase returns to Alserkal Avenue with nine films from across the Arab world, including a special focus on Lebanese cinema.
Few venues have altered the cultural landscape of Dubai like Cinema Akil – not only is it the first arthouse cinema in the region, but it has also been instrumental in building awareness of independent filmmaking in both the UAE and the Middle East as a whole. Now, the independent cinema is gearing up to host its Arab Cinema Week, bringing a carefully curated programme of regional storytelling to Dubai from Friday, 5 June to Thursday, 11 June 2026.
Presented by Fujifilm Middle East in partnership with Alserkal Avenue, Arab Cinema Week Volume 5 will feature nine films from ten Arab countries. The programme spans fiction, documentary and experimental cinema, with stories that explore memory, identity, conflict, family and belonging through deeply personal perspectives.
This year’s edition places a strong focus on Lebanese cinema and the country’s long relationship with memory, resilience and cultural preservation. Lana Daher’s Do You Love Me looks back at Beirut’s cinematic archives, while Nicolas Khoury’s Souraya, Mon Amour examines grief through the lens of civil war cinema. Cyril Aris’ A Sad and Beautiful World brings the conversation into contemporary Beirut through a story of love, endurance and emotional survival.
The wider programme also turns its attention to family, history and home. In My Father and Qaddafi, Jihan K. reflects on political legacy and inherited silence, while Zain Duraie’s Sink explores longing within the private space of the home. Sudanese cinema also takes centre stage through Suzannah Mirghani’s Cotton Queen and the collaborative documentary Khartoum, both of which offer intimate portraits of young people, place, and political uncertainty.
The festival closes its programme with two distinctive films. Hasan Hadi’s The President’s Cake unfolds as a surreal fable set in 1990s Iraq, while Maryam Touzani’s Calle Malaga explores exile, matriarchy and the meaning of belonging.
Select screenings will be accompanied by filmmaker Q&As and conversations, giving audiences the chance to engage more closely with the stories on screen. Tickets start from AED 60 and are available online via Cinema Akil.
The fifth edition also introduces a new visual identity by Lebanese artist Adra Kandil. Inspired by movement, memory and Beirut’s cinematic past, the artwork centres on the city’s iconic Rivoli Cinema and draws on archival Arab cinema, street photography and urban landscapes.
Speaking about this milestone edition of Arab Cinema Week, Cinema Akil founder Butheina Kazim said, “Entering its fifth year, Arab Cinema Week feels less like a festival and more like a living archive of the region’s cinematic voice. What began as a space for regional storytelling has, over the years, grown into a recurring cultural moment for audiences, filmmakers, and conversations that deserve to be held together.”
Grab your tickets now. It’s going to be a blockbuster event.
Where: Cinema Akil, Alserkal Avenue, Al Qouz, Dubai
When: 5 to 11 June 2026
Contact: www.cinemaakil.com