The Al Qamar Film Festival begins its third edition today in Prague, bringing a diverse selection of films, performances, and cultural programming from the Middle East and North Africa to Edison Filmhub. Running through Aug. 31, the festival combines cinema with music, food, and artisan markets, offering audiences both a cultural showcase and a platform for dialogue.
Founded in 2022 and organized by Film Europe in cooperation with the Madžlis Student Association at Charles University, Al Qamar—named for the Arabic word for “moon”—has become an annual fixture at Edison Filmhub. This year’s program features a blend of Czech premieres, internationally acclaimed titles, short films, and discussions with filmmakers and scholars, highlighting themes of political repression, displacement, and resilience.
Films exploring politics, memory, and displacement
This year’s Al Qamar Film Festival opens with the Czech premiere of Eagles of the Republic, the latest feature from Swedish-Egyptian director Tarik Saleh (The Nile Hilton Incident). Saleh concludes what he has described as his ‘Cairo trilogy’ with a political thriller that doubles as a satire of Egypt’s film industry. The film follows George El-Nabawi (Fares Fares), a leading Egyptian actor whose fall from favor forces him into playing President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in a state-backed biopic, with consequences that blur the line between cinema and authoritarian power.
Despite taking place in Egypt, Eagles of the Republic was largely produced by Sweden, and has been selected by the country as its official submission to the 2026 Academy Awards. A post-screening discussion will be led by Czech film historian Šárka Jelínek Gmiterková.
Another major highlight is It Was Just an Accident, winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, the politically charged drama begins with a chance nighttime collision that forces a former political prisoner to confront the man he believes was his torturer. The screening will be followed by an online discussion with actress Maryam Afshari.
Palestinian-Danish director Mahdi Fleifel’s To a Land Unknown (pictured at top) follows two cousins stranded in Athens as they struggle to reach Germany and become embroiled in underground activity.
The program also includes For Sama, Waad al-Kateab’s 2019 documentary co-directed with Edward Watts. Filmed during the Syrian civil war, the documentary chronicles life in Aleppo through the perspective of a young mother raising her daughter amid conflict. Students from the Beirut-based Alsama Project will join audiences for a virtual discussion following the screening.
Two short film sections broaden the lineup. The first, One World, Apart – A Documentary Selection on the February 6 Earthquakes, features works by Umi Ito and Nesime Karateke capturing the aftermath of the 2023 earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. The second, curated with Prague’s FAMU, presents short films from students and alumni with roots in the Middle East and North Africa, including works by Farah Abou Kharroub, Sheida Sheikhha, Leila Basma, and Motassem Taha.
Cultural programming and live performances
Al Qamar distinguishes itself from other film festivals in Prague through its integration of cultural activities that extend beyond the screen. Each evening, Edison Filmhub will host the Moonlight Markets, offering Levantine cuisine, handmade crafts, and traditional desserts. Iraqi baker Samar Alabed will present her homemade baklava and kleicha, while Iranian-born Fariba Šumanská will showcase Persian ceramics, jewelry, and textiles sourced directly from artists she has long supported.
The festival also incorporates live performance into its program. Ahead of Sunday’s screening of To a Land Unknown, audiences will see Saba’s Journey, a puppetry performance by Palestinian artist Jeries Abu Jaber. Inspired by his own family history, the piece tells the story of a boy displaced from Bethlehem in 1947, tracing his path into exile in Chile. Abu Jaber, who also works as a medical clown in Palestinian hospitals, developed the performance during the Covid-19 pandemic as both a personal and collective reflection on displacement.
