The Al Qamar Film Festival is set to return to Prague for its second year from Thursday, August 29, to Sunday, September 1, bringing a rich blend of cinema, culture, and culinary experiences from the Middle East and North Africa to the Czech capital.
Hosted by Film Europe and Edison Filmhub, in collaboration with the Madžlis Student Association, the festival will take place this year at two Prague cinemas, Edison Filmhub and Kino Atlas, as well as Kino Art in Brno and Kino Boskovice in South Moravia.
Like last year, the Al Qamar Film Festival headquarters will be at Prague’s Edison Filmhub, which will feature an accompanying cultural program and outdoor Moonlight Markets in addition to the film screenings.
Highlights this year include a live Dabke dance performance by the Sahar group dancers, which will take place after a Saturday evening screening of The Time That Remains, as well as a photo exhibition by Palestinian photographer Fadi Thabet.
The festival’s Moonlight Markets will showcase Middle Eastern handicrafts, jewelry, perfumes, ceramics, and more from local vendors Krásy Orientu and Anar Persian Art. Festivalgoers can also indulge in traditional Middle Eastern food, sweets, and cakes provided by Aleb Kitchen and Bar.
Headlining this year’s Al Qamar Film Festival is the Czech premiere of The Seed of the Sacred Fig, the latest film from award-winning Iranian filmmaker and political dissident Mohammad Rasoulof. The film, which centers on an Iranian judge who becomes increasingly paranoid as political protests escalate and his gun goes missing, won the Jury Special Prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. The Prague Reporter was a big fan of Rasoulof’s 2017 drama A Man of Integrity, and looks forward to catching his latest.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig, which will serve as Germany’s official entry for the 2025 Academy Awards, kicks off the Al Qamar Film Festival on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Edison Filmhub. An online Q&A with two of the film’s lead actresses, Mahsa Rostami and Setareh Maleki, will follow the opening night screening.
The festival will present the Czech premiere of Hajjan, a Saudi Arabian adventure epic set in the world of camel racing from director Abu Bakr Shawky. Following the screening at Edison Filmhub on Friday, audiences will be treated to a live online Q&A with the director.
Another Czech premiere at this year’s Al Qamar Film Festival will be Behind the Mountains (pictured at top), a piece of supernatural magical realism directed by Tunisian filmmaker Mohamed Ben Attia and co-produced by the Dardenne brothers. The film will screen on Sunday evening at Edison Filmhub followed by an online Q&A featuring lead actor Majd Mastoura.
Beyond the premieres, the Al Qamar Film Festival also offers a carefully curated selection of classic films that showcase the diversity of cinema from the Middle East and North Africa. Highlights include Elia Suleiman’s The Time That Remains, Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s Kandahar (2001), Fatih Akın’s historical epic The Cut, and Asghar Farhadi‘s critically acclaimed A Separation.
All films screening during the festival at Edison Filmhub and Kino Atlas in Prague will include English subtitles. More information about this year’s Al Qamar Film Festival can be found at the official festival website.
