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THIS WEEK’S FEATURE: XOFTEX | 2024 | 99 mins | Directed by: Noez Deshe
From Oct 1-15, stream the Muslim Horror Film Xoftex - http://watch.eventive.org/halaloween. Xoftex tells the story of a Palestinian-Syrian teenager waiting for asylum in a Greek refugee camp. Pre-order the film anytime, and check out the rest of the month’s Halaloween Horror selection!
Xoftex | 2024 | 99 mins | Germany/France
Directed by: Noez Deshe
Description: Palestinian-Syrian teenager Nasser and his older brother Yassin have been living in a Greek refugee camp, awaiting a decision on their asylum application. They pass the time recording comedy sketches and fantasizing about making zombie films and moving to Sweden. Nasser, however, feels increasingly trapped in this No Man’s Land. With nowhere to escape, boiling tensions in the camp push Nasser to another reality. Highly experimental filmmaking.
Director Noaz Deshe works as a director and musician. He composed the soundtrack of Babak Jalali’s FRONTIER BLUES (2009), and was the cinematographer of the Tiger winner RADIO DREAMS (2016). His debut feature film WHITE SHADOW (2013) about a young albino person won the Lion of the Future Award at Venice Film Festival and was showcased at Sundance Film Festival. XOFTEX (2024) is his second feature film, selected for FilmFest München. In addition to his artistic work, he has worked as a volunteer on sea rescue missions and in refugee camps.
Halaloween Horror Rating: 2/5 Pumpkins
Rating explanation: Not very scary, but eerie, experimental, and suspenseful. Purposefully experimental to capture the difficulty of being in a refugee camp. Content warnings: drowning death, monsters, zombie references, refugee camps, hunger, and fleeing war. Religious content: Islamic prayer.
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Welcome to the 7th annual Halaloween: A Muslim Horror Film Festival 2025!
What is Halaloween? Halaloween screens horror films from across the globe that were made by, for, or about Muslims, to understand: “What scares Muslim audiences? Are horror movies halal?”
This year’s 2025 film festival runs throughout October on Tuesdays. Halaloween will showcase one film streaming online from October 1-15; a montage of short films in-person at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn on Tuesday, October 14 at 7pm; and two in-person screenings at the State Theatre, on Tuesday October 21 and 28 at 7pm.
The festival is free in-person and online–but make sure to reserve tickets! In-person screenings will be first-come, first-served with RSVPs strongly encouraged.
We are inclusive of everyone's film needs: from new horror fans who close their eyes through most scary movies, to those who love the gore–we've got films for everyone! Check the Halaloween Horror Rating in the description of each film for its scariness rating and other details.
The 2025 Halaloween Lineup:
October 1-15: Xoftex | Greece/Palestine/Syria | 2024 | Online Screening
October 14: Short Films | Saudi Arabia, Syria, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia | 7:00pm | Arab American National Museum (Dearborn)
October 21: Agora | Tunisia | 2024 | 7:00 PM | State Theatre
October 28: Algiers | Algeria | 2024 | 7:00 PM | State Theatre
RSVP & stream our online selection: watch.eventive.org/halaloween
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Halaloween: A Muslim Horror Film Festival, is brought to you by the Global Islamic Studies Center and cosponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, the Digital Islamic Studies Curriculum, & the Middle Eastern Studies Department. This event is free and open to all. To watch the remaining Halaloween films, visit watch.eventive.org/halaloween.
For more events from the Global Islamic Studies Center at the University of Michigan, please visit ii.umich.edu/islamicstudies.
Join our Email newsletter: https://myumi.ch/nbW83
Islamic Studies Minor: https://myumi.ch/R5YnQ
Email islamicstudies@umich.edu
Masters Program: https://myumi.ch/v2gVP
Email MIRS-info@umich.edu
Stay updated on our upcoming events by following our socials here:
Facebook: UmichGISC
https://www.facebook.com/UmichGISC/
Twitter: @umichgisc
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to islamicstudies@umich.edu.
Xoftex | 2024 | 99 mins | Syria/Palestine/Greece
Directed by: Noez Deshe
Description: Palestinian-Syrian teenager Nasser and his older brother Yassin have been living in a Greek refugee camp, awaiting a decision on their asylum application. They pass the time recording comedy sketches and fantasizing about making zombie films and moving to Sweden. Nasser, however, feels increasingly trapped in this No Man’s Land. With nowhere to escape, boiling tensions in the camp push Nasser to another reality. Highly experimental filmmaking.
Director Noaz Deshe works as a director and musician. He composed the soundtrack of Babak Jalali’s FRONTIER BLUES (2009), and was the cinematographer of the Tiger winner RADIO DREAMS (2016). His debut feature film WHITE SHADOW (2013), about a young albino person, won the Lion of the Future Award at Venice Film Festival and was showcased at Sundance Film Festival. XOFTEX (2024) is his second feature film, selected for FilmFest München. In addition to his artistic work, he has worked as a volunteer on sea rescue missions and in refugee camps.
Halaloween Horror Rating: 2/5 Pumpkins
Rating explanation: Not very scary, but eerie, experimental, and suspenseful. Purposefully experimental to capture the difficulty of being in a refugee camp. Content warnings: drowning death, monsters, zombie references, refugee camps, hunger, and fleeing war. Religious content: Islamic prayer.
- Year2025
- Runtime95 minutes
- LanguageArabic, English
- DirectorNoaz Deshe
- ScreenwriterNoaz Deshe, James Masson, Babak Jalali
- ProducerAndro Steinborn
- CastAbdulrahman Diab, Mohamad Al Rashi, Amal Omran
- CinematographerNoaz Deshe
- EditorFelipe Guerrero, Noaz Deshe
THIS WEEK’S FEATURE: XOFTEX | 2024 | 99 mins | Directed by: Noez Deshe
From Oct 1-15, stream the Muslim Horror Film Xoftex - http://watch.eventive.org/halaloween. Xoftex tells the story of a Palestinian-Syrian teenager waiting for asylum in a Greek refugee camp. Pre-order the film anytime, and check out the rest of the month’s Halaloween Horror selection!
Xoftex | 2024 | 99 mins | Germany/France
Directed by: Noez Deshe
Description: Palestinian-Syrian teenager Nasser and his older brother Yassin have been living in a Greek refugee camp, awaiting a decision on their asylum application. They pass the time recording comedy sketches and fantasizing about making zombie films and moving to Sweden. Nasser, however, feels increasingly trapped in this No Man’s Land. With nowhere to escape, boiling tensions in the camp push Nasser to another reality. Highly experimental filmmaking.
Director Noaz Deshe works as a director and musician. He composed the soundtrack of Babak Jalali’s FRONTIER BLUES (2009), and was the cinematographer of the Tiger winner RADIO DREAMS (2016). His debut feature film WHITE SHADOW (2013) about a young albino person won the Lion of the Future Award at Venice Film Festival and was showcased at Sundance Film Festival. XOFTEX (2024) is his second feature film, selected for FilmFest München. In addition to his artistic work, he has worked as a volunteer on sea rescue missions and in refugee camps.
Halaloween Horror Rating: 2/5 Pumpkins
Rating explanation: Not very scary, but eerie, experimental, and suspenseful. Purposefully experimental to capture the difficulty of being in a refugee camp. Content warnings: drowning death, monsters, zombie references, refugee camps, hunger, and fleeing war. Religious content: Islamic prayer.
---------
Welcome to the 7th annual Halaloween: A Muslim Horror Film Festival 2025!
What is Halaloween? Halaloween screens horror films from across the globe that were made by, for, or about Muslims, to understand: “What scares Muslim audiences? Are horror movies halal?”
This year’s 2025 film festival runs throughout October on Tuesdays. Halaloween will showcase one film streaming online from October 1-15; a montage of short films in-person at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn on Tuesday, October 14 at 7pm; and two in-person screenings at the State Theatre, on Tuesday October 21 and 28 at 7pm.
The festival is free in-person and online–but make sure to reserve tickets! In-person screenings will be first-come, first-served with RSVPs strongly encouraged.
We are inclusive of everyone's film needs: from new horror fans who close their eyes through most scary movies, to those who love the gore–we've got films for everyone! Check the Halaloween Horror Rating in the description of each film for its scariness rating and other details.
The 2025 Halaloween Lineup:
October 1-15: Xoftex | Greece/Palestine/Syria | 2024 | Online Screening
October 14: Short Films | Saudi Arabia, Syria, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia | 7:00pm | Arab American National Museum (Dearborn)
October 21: Agora | Tunisia | 2024 | 7:00 PM | State Theatre
October 28: Algiers | Algeria | 2024 | 7:00 PM | State Theatre
RSVP & stream our online selection: watch.eventive.org/halaloween
----
Halaloween: A Muslim Horror Film Festival, is brought to you by the Global Islamic Studies Center and cosponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, the Digital Islamic Studies Curriculum, & the Middle Eastern Studies Department. This event is free and open to all. To watch the remaining Halaloween films, visit watch.eventive.org/halaloween.
For more events from the Global Islamic Studies Center at the University of Michigan, please visit ii.umich.edu/islamicstudies.
Join our Email newsletter: https://myumi.ch/nbW83
Islamic Studies Minor: https://myumi.ch/R5YnQ
Email islamicstudies@umich.edu
Masters Program: https://myumi.ch/v2gVP
Email MIRS-info@umich.edu
Stay updated on our upcoming events by following our socials here:
Facebook: UmichGISC
https://www.facebook.com/UmichGISC/
Twitter: @umichgisc
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to islamicstudies@umich.edu.
Xoftex | 2024 | 99 mins | Syria/Palestine/Greece
Directed by: Noez Deshe
Description: Palestinian-Syrian teenager Nasser and his older brother Yassin have been living in a Greek refugee camp, awaiting a decision on their asylum application. They pass the time recording comedy sketches and fantasizing about making zombie films and moving to Sweden. Nasser, however, feels increasingly trapped in this No Man’s Land. With nowhere to escape, boiling tensions in the camp push Nasser to another reality. Highly experimental filmmaking.
Director Noaz Deshe works as a director and musician. He composed the soundtrack of Babak Jalali’s FRONTIER BLUES (2009), and was the cinematographer of the Tiger winner RADIO DREAMS (2016). His debut feature film WHITE SHADOW (2013), about a young albino person, won the Lion of the Future Award at Venice Film Festival and was showcased at Sundance Film Festival. XOFTEX (2024) is his second feature film, selected for FilmFest München. In addition to his artistic work, he has worked as a volunteer on sea rescue missions and in refugee camps.
Halaloween Horror Rating: 2/5 Pumpkins
Rating explanation: Not very scary, but eerie, experimental, and suspenseful. Purposefully experimental to capture the difficulty of being in a refugee camp. Content warnings: drowning death, monsters, zombie references, refugee camps, hunger, and fleeing war. Religious content: Islamic prayer.
- Year2025
- Runtime95 minutes
- LanguageArabic, English
- DirectorNoaz Deshe
- ScreenwriterNoaz Deshe, James Masson, Babak Jalali
- ProducerAndro Steinborn
- CastAbdulrahman Diab, Mohamad Al Rashi, Amal Omran
- CinematographerNoaz Deshe
- EditorFelipe Guerrero, Noaz Deshe
