Greeting

Korea-Arab Society (KAS) which has been promoting overall cooperation in culture, politics, academics, and more between Korea and the 22 Arab countries, will host the 12th ARAB Film Festival in 2023. The ARAB Film Festival first launched in 2009 and has been held annually since 2013. This year, the event will be held under the slogan “The Joy of Arab Cinema,” greeting audiences on-site at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan and Arthouse MOMO in Seoul, followed by online screenings on NAVER TV.

This year, the festival will introduce Arab films from 9 countries, unveiling the past and present of Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Offline screenings take place from July 27th(Thu) through July 30th(Sun) at the Busan Cinema Center and from August 3rd(Thu) to August 6th(Sun) at Arthouse MOMO. Additionally, several films will be available online from August 7th(Mon) through August 13th(Sun) on Naver TV, overcoming the barrier of time and distance to reach audiences.

Talk and Q&A sessions will be presented as follows. On August 5th(Sat), we will have an online conversation with director Lara Saba and actor Betty Taoutel of All Roads Lead to Rome (2022) after the film’s physical screening. Prior to this on July 29th(Sat), we will discuss the film as well as discover Arabic culture comprehensively with an Arab major professor from Busan University of Foreign Studies. On August 6th(Sun), a talk session with a film journalist will follow the screening ofHéliopolis (2021).

We excitedly await your interest and participation at this sole ARAB film festival in the country.