The Euro-Arab Film Festival Amal returns to Santiago de Compostela with its twenty-first edition from October 23 to 28 at the Teatro Principal. This year it arrives with the slogan “No one is safe” and five films that reflect the diversity and situation of the Arab world today with films that represent a cultural journey through Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Tunisia and Morocco.

This year’s poster features a somber black image, paying tribute to the victims of the earthquake in Morocco and the floods in Libya. In addition, during the presentation of the event, the director of the festival, Ghaleb Jaber Martinez, showed his solidarity with the people of his father, Palestine, and condemned the killings on both sides of the conflict.

And it is precisely on this topic that the inauguration of Monday 23rd will revolve with a colloquium on Palestine, with the participation of Jesús Núñez, patron of the Araguaney Foundation and co-director of the Institute of Studies on Conflicts and Humanitarian Action. In it, they will recontextualize what is happening and will have free admission.

On Tuesday 24, ‘Conspiracy in Cairo’, directed by Tarik Saleh, will be screened. On Wednesday, it will be the turn of ‘Among the Fig Trees’, by Eirge Sehiri, which won a prize at Cannes. On Thursday, the Syrian film ‘The Sake’, directed by Basil Alkahbit, will be presented, and on Friday the documentary ‘Little Palestine, diary of a siege’, directed by Abadallah Al-Khatib, will arrive. The closing will take place on Saturday 28th with the film ‘The Blue Caftan’, directed by Maryam Touzani.

The Amal Festival is not only a cinematographic event, it is a meeting of cultures that opens the window to the exchange of ideas, empathy and understanding. Ghaleb Jaber Martinez pointed out that it is essential to recognize and understand the pain of others to prevent it from turning into destructive anger. Therefore, this film week is a perfect opportunity for people to see screenings that are difficult to find in the commercial circuit.

This event is organized by the Araguaney-Puente de Culturas Foundation and has the support of the Xunta de Galicia and the City Council of Santiago. Something that Ghaleb Jaber Martínez thanked, highlighting the importance of a festival that he considers “so necessary” in the current panorama.

The Amal Festival is presented as an ideal opportunity to get to know the cultural and cinematographic richness of the Arab world, while promoting solidarity and understanding in the current context marked by wars and natural disasters. So, if you are interested in learning about the stories it has to offer, don’t hesitate to visit the Teatro Principal.