DARK SHADOWS is an exploration of works of horror from the Arab world. The short films featured in this program utilize absurdity, fantasy and a bit of gore to explore the darker parts of life, including war, rape, death and family secrets.

Lara has not been herself lately, a fact that everyone around mentions constantly. She is dealing with a traumatic incident silently, and when Vanessa, her childhood best friend, pushes her to join in a relaxing weekend in an isolated resort, Lara reluctantly agrees. This idyllic retreat reveals its true intent when Amir arrives, Lara quickly finds out that this is a trap to silence her against speaking up about the incident with Amir. When a confrontation between Lara and Amir turns deadly, she must find her inner strength and fight her way through the night to make it out alive. About the filmmakers: <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/097a5090d2acc6192532d38a54c36669.jpg" width="138" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Firas Abou Fakher is a director, writer, and composer. His work as part of Mashrou’ Leila has earned him accolades and awards across the world. CNN called his band “the voice of their generation”. His compositions for Film, Sound Installations, and VR experiences have generated a narrative thinking in his music, and his deep-rooted love for Arab story-telling brought him to founding Last Floor productions.At Last Floor Productions, he co-created Al Shak and Fixer and served as creative producer on projects for Apple and the V&amp;A. He is a member of the Recording Academy New York chapter.&nbsp;Daniel Habib is a writer, producer, and director from Beirut, Lebanon who started his career in 2011 as the lead writer on the second season of the critically acclaimed series "Beirut, I Love You". In 2013, he co-founded and managed Heyoka Media, a digital production house specializing in non-fiction alternative Arabic content across multiple platforms and formats. He now dedicates his time leading a team of writers developing original Arab Genre fiction as the head writer and co-founder of Last Floor Productions. He also teaches Scriptwriting at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA) and acts as a consultant for the MBC SHAHID streaming platform.

It Gets Darker

Following a traumatic incident, Lara joins her childhood best friend for a relaxing weekend which turns out to be a hellish trap that she must fight her way out of.

The film deals with the absurd issue of war and its reflection upon mankind. The dictator grabs the life of his people and gives them wars to satisfy his instinct. The film is a psychological horror movie in the way of surrealism, embodying a symbolic idea in which generations are crushed due to wars and bloodshed. The characters in the movie are icons for an executioner who has no vision for humanity and only seeks blood, war, and hunger. A young man represents the crushed generations affected by war and become dependant on the hand that harmed them. Our hope is in the new generation: will they keep following in the paths of the executioner, warlords and blood traders? Or will they attempt to get rid of them and start building a new country with a modern civil generation? Festivals &amp; Awards:Golden Lion International Festival 2022 About the filmmaker:<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/77b7718fc47cbb68e8132a4e29bc10fa.jpg" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;" width="132">Saif Sabah Malih is a director, writer and editor. He was born in Iraq in 1984. He graduated from the University of Baghdad, College of Fine Arts, Department of Cinema. He has made three films 2040 AFTER THE DISASTER (2015), RABBIT (2021) and CIRCLET (2022).

Circlet

A young man struggles to escape the psychological effects of war and bloodshed while held hostage by a blind executioner who continues to exert his forces.

In the Lebanese wintery wilderness, a mini-van arrives. Two men get off the van into the cold forest and set off on their quest. The tall trees and the grey sky are their witnesses. Armored with a shovel, a rope, and an axe, they soon arrive at their destination: a lonely verdant tree amid the naked forest. Festivals &amp; Awards:Cairo International Film Festival 2021 About the filmmaker:<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/841e0e560c01c5e517a95a46ae58dd86.jpg" width="133" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;">Marie-Rose Osta is a Lebanese scriptwriter and director. After graduating with a Master’s Degree in Filmmaking, from ALBA University in Beirut in 2010, she worked in the commercial industry as a director and copywriter. She independently, wrote, directed and produced many shorts films that traveled internationally to renowned festivals. Her latest short film "Then Came Dark" premiered at the 43rd Cairo International Film Festival and won The Special Jury Award in 2021. Marie-Rose is currently in the writing phase of her debut feature film.

Then Came Dark

In a forest in the mountains of Lebanon, where the unspoken pact of balance between the villagers and the forces of nature breaks, legend has it that revenge is bound to happen.

Farida is back in her father’s native Algeria for the first me since she was a child. She discovers her grandmother’s house in the middle of the countryside. When the night comes, her sleep is disturbed by an intruder, a strange creature which has been haunting the family for many years. About the filmmaker:<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/77398efc2b31ce8cc409f62079146f79.jpg" style="display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;" width="134">Naël started shooting his first amateur films with a small camera at only eight years old. During his teen years he participated in a dozen short films with friends, either as an editor, a writer, or a director. In 2017, he was awarded the "Moteur!" award at the Cannes Film Festival for a very-short film about his Algerian grandfather. His self-produced short film Éclat received the Best Script Award at the Court Métrange Film Festival 2018. The Foreign Land (La Terre Étrangère) is his first produced short film.

The Foreign Land

Back in her father’s homeland Algeria, Farida faces a creature that's been haunting the family for years.

Shorts: Dark Shadows

Virtual Admission

Donate to AFMI

Donate

Gift Cards

These are all the passes tied to your account. Now, use our online schedule to reserve tickets. You can access your tickets via {{my_tickets_link|"My Tickets"}} or via the PDFs attached to each ticket order confirmation email. {{buy_pass_link|Looking to buy more passes?}}

These are all your purchased tickets. Open this page on your phone, and at the door tap the "Show Barcode" button and show your screen to the attendant. Prefer paper? Print the PDF attached to the order confirmation email, or click one of the gears below and select "Download tickets PDF". If purchasing multiple tickets, be sure to print or show each unique ticket barcode.

None available

Passes

North America's oldest and largest festival of Arab films. The flagship event of the Arab Film and Media Institute, the festival's mission is to present the richness of Arab culture through authentic narratives and images, providing insight into the beauty and complexity of the Arab world.

Here's what's coming up soon. Can't make it? No sweat. Many live streams will be available for on-demand viewing as well.