The 11th Malmo Arab Film Festival begins on Tuesday in a hybrid format with a screening programme that includes 40 movies from the Arab world.
The event, which opens with Oscar-nominated Tunisian film The Man Who Sold His Skin, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, is showing some of the most prominent films to come out of the Arab world over the past year. This also includes Ameen Nayfeh's 200 Metres, Farah Nabulsi's Oscar-nominated short The Present, Cannes winner I Don't Want to Forget Your Face by Sameh Alaa and award-winning documentary Their Algeria by Lina Soualem.
The festival runs until Sunday, April 11, and films will be screened online, via a dedicated platform called Maff Play, as well as shown physically at Panora Cinema in Malmo, Sweden, but with a limited capacity because of Covid-19 safety measures.
The official feature film competition includes 12 films. The jury consists of prominent industry professionals such as Palestinian director and producer Najwa Najjar, Saudi actress and director Fatima Albanwy, Moroccan film researcher Leila Charadi, Lebanese presenter Raya Abi Rached and Egyptian screenwriter Tamer Habib.
Meanwhile, the short film competition, which features 17 films, has a jury made up of Lebanese director and producer Manon Nammour, Egyptian director and producer Maggie Anwar, Algerian film critic Faycal Chibani, Bahraini film critic Tariq Albahhar and Emirati actor Mansoor Alfeeli.
Other films will be screened under an Arabian Nights programme and a special screening of shorts.
Discussions will take place after the screenings on Maff Play and will remain available for viewing throughout the festival.
This year's programme will also include masterclasses with screenwriter Mariam Naoum, moderated by film critic Ahmed Shawky, and actress Mona Zaki, moderated by Habib – all from Egypt.
Here is the full list of films running in competition:
Feature film competition
200 Metres – directed by Ameen Nayfeh (Palestine, Sweden, Italy, Qatar, Jordan)
Autumn of Apple Trees – directed by Mohamed Mouftakir (Morocco)
Curfew – directed by Amir Ramses (Egypt)
The Dilemma – directed by Ghazi Zaghbani (Tunisia)
The Disqualified – directed by Hamza Ouni (France, Tunisia, Qatar)
Gaza Mon Amour – directed by Arab and Tarzan Nasser (Palestine, France, Germany, Portugal, Qatar)
The Man Who Sold His Skin – directed by Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia, France, Belgium, Germany, Sweden)
The Postcard – directed by Asmae El Moudir (Morocco, Qatar)
The Tambour of Retribution – directed by Abdulaziz Al Shalahi (Saudi Arabia)
Their Algeria – directed by Lina Sweilem (France, Algeria, Switzerland, Qatar)
Under The Concrete – directed by Roy Arida (France, Lebanon)
We Are From There – directed by Wissam Tanios (Lebanon)
Short film competition
A Handful of Dates – directed by Hashim Hassan (Sudan)
Aicha – directed by Zakaria Nouri (Morocco)
Amygdala – directed by Dana Abdessamad (Lebanon)
An Evening with Laila – directed by Haya Alghanim (Kuwait)
The Bath – directed by Anissa Daoud (Tunisia)
The Black Veil – directed by A J Al Thani (Qatar)
Hayat – directed by Mirvet Medini Kammoun (Tunisia)
Hemingway – directed by Ghaith and Laith Al Adwan (Jordan)
I am Afraid to Forget Your Face – directed by Sameh Alaa (Egypt, France, Qatar, Belgium)
The Other Cheek – directed by Sandro Canaan (Egypt)
The Present – directed by Farah Nabulsi (Palestine)
Roadblock – directed by Dahlia Nemlich (Lebanon)
Al Sit – directed by Suzannah Mirghani (Sudan)
Sunday at Five – directed by Sherif Sherif El Bendary (Egypt)
Tapes Began Decaying – directed by Reeda Fneiche (Lebanon)
The Tower of Silence – directed by Mohamed Aouad (Morocco)
Tuk Tuk – directed by Mohamed Kheidr (Egypt)
More information is at maffswe.com
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
Find the right policy for you
Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.
Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.
Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.
Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.
If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.
Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.
Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”
Pros%20and%20cons%20of%20BNPL
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
INVESTMENT PLEDGES
Cartlow: $13.4m
Rabbitmart: $14m
Smileneo: $5.8m
Soum: $4m
imVentures: $100m
Plug and Play: $25m
