For its 13th edition, the Noisy-le-Sec Franco-Arab Film Festival (FFFA), which will take place from November 15 to 30, 2024 in Paris, offers an exploration of Franco-Arab cinematographic creation, from the angle of migration and exile as well as Arab culture in all its forms. Through its numerous screenings, meetings, exhibitions and concerts, the festival will highlight works promoting exchanges and cultural interaction.
The Noisy-le-Sec Franco-Arab Film Festival (FFFA), in Île-de-France, returns for its 13the edition from November 15 to 30. This year, the festival will take place in both Noisy-le-Sec and Paris, with part of the programming dedicated to Gaza, including a special day with screenings, meetings and short films exploring the complex challenges facing faces the region. At the same time, a program on exile and migration will be held at the Institute of Islamic Cultures (ICI), addressing the condition of migrants and exiles through the eyes of Arab filmmakers.
One of the highlights of the festival, the short film competition, will take place on Sunday November 24 at the Trianon. The public will be invited to vote for their favorite film among seven selected works. Prizes will be awarded, including the high school students’ prize, awarded by students from the Liberté and Olympe de Gouges high schools, as well as the young ambassadors’ prize from cinemas 93, which will offer special promotion to the winner in the network of partner cinemas. The winner of the jury prize will also be invited to present their film during the Franco-Arab Meetings in Amman in 2025.
The festival also offers a selection of contemporary films redefining Franco-Arab relations, as well as a selection of genre films, notably Franco-Arab science fiction and fantasy. The screenings will be accompanied by meetings with the directors and an off-site program to expand access to the works.
Multidisciplinary and off-the-wall programming
The FFFA goes beyond the geographical framework of the Trianon with a varied program including concerts, exhibitions, dance performances and workshops. The public will be able to discover, among other things, a concert of Arab-Andalusian music by the young ensemble El Mawsili, on November 27 at the Nadia and Lili Boulanger Conservatory. On November 29, at the Théâtre des Bergeries, the Egyptian singer Hend ElRawy and her quartet Mazalda, accompanied by the Berber choir of Bagnolet, will perform. The festival also offers an electro-traditional musical performance by Nidhal Yahyaoui.
The exhibition Rwama – My childhood in Algeria by Algerian illustrator Salim Zerrouki will be presented at the Le Trianon cinema and at the Micro-Folie in Noisy-le-Sec from November 16 to 30. Through his first graphic novel, Zerrouki evokes his childhood memories in Algeria in the 80s and 90s, marked by cultural and political diversity. The opening of the exhibition will take place on November 15 at 7 p.m. at the Le Trianon cinema, where Zerrouki will sign his book. The Les Pipelettes bookstore in Romainville will have a stand selling comics and graphic novels from Arab countries and the diaspora.
On November 24, Salim Zerrouki will host a workshop at Micro-Folie to introduce the public to the creation of comic strips, followed by a live drawing performance to a soundtrack inspired by Algeria in the 90s. , the Le Trianon cinema will host Mamana performance mixing dance and music, which explores the relationship between a mother, born in Kabylia, and her daughter, born in France.
On November 30, the Syrian-Palestinian artist Maryam Samaan will offer a collective creation workshop,Knitting of soulsallowing participants to build intercultural and intergenerational links through knitting. Since 2015, this project has brought together more than 400 participants, creating a collective work from recycled personal clothing.
Other highlights of the FFFA
The festival also supports community and educational initiatives, including an immersion stay for Jordanian film pitch winner Yazan Tarawneh, who will benefit from professional meetings to support his film project Searching for Fareed.
A discovery course in cinema professions will also be offered to beneficiaries of the RSA (Active Solidarity Income) from Seine-Saint-Denis, allowing them to live a unique experience, acquire new skills and discover behind the scenes of a film festival.
Finally, the festival will add a culinary touch to its programming. From November 18 to 22, the chefs of Siplarc (Intercommunal Union of food production and delivery for collective meals) will offer menus inspired by the flavors of the Arab world in the schools and senior residences of Noisy-le-Sec and Bondy.
