Arab Film Festival

Head & Heart: 6 Documentaries by Women

Expired November 29, 2021 7:45 AM
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This documentary shorts program focuses on the work of women directors and the stories of women throughout the Arab World. From a look at the tragedy of the 2020 Beirut Explosion, to a heartfelt letter to one woman's grandfather and her heritage, to a powerful mother and daughter falconeering duo breaking stereotypes in the desert, these films showcase the incredible talent and tenacity of women on both sides of the camera.


This program includes the following films:


Struck (Lebanon) dir. Sarah Kaskas

Ain't No Time For Women (Canada, Tunisia) dir. Sarra El Abed

An Evening with Laila (Kuwait) dir. Haya Alghanim

Don't Get Too Comfortable (Yemen) dir. Shaima Al Tamimi

I Bit My Tongue (Algeria) dir. Nina Khada

Osha (United Arab Emirates) dir. Rasha Amer


Co-presented by International Documentary Association (IDA)

Co-presented by Alliance Française de San Francisco


Tunis, November 2019. A group of women is gathered at Saïda’s, the hairdresser, on the eve of the presidential election. The salon is transformed into a town square, mirroring the internal turmoil of the country. In this female sanctuary, we get an intimate look at the county’s teenage democracy.


About the filmmaker:


Sarra El Abed finished her degree in film direction at UQAM in 2018, where she was awarded the best fiction prize for her graduation project. “Y’a pas d’heure pour les femmes” is her fourth film. Flirting between fiction and documentary filmmaking, she likes to breathe whimsy into the ordinary and comedy into dramatic situations.





Co-presented by



  • Year
    2020
  • Runtime
    19 minutes
  • Language
    French, Arabic
  • Country
    Canada
  • Director
    Sarra El Abed
  • Screenwriter
    Sarra El Abed
  • Producer
    Isabelle Grignon-Francke
  • Cinematographer
    Catherine Lefebvre
  • Editor
    Jordan Choinière
  • Sound Design
    Ilyaa Ghafouri
  • Music
    Ilyaa Ghafouri