Opening Ceremony

Join us on Saturday, November 26 at VIFF Centre as we celebrate the sights, sounds and screens of the MENA/SWANA region in Vancouver. Come at 1:30PM for a pre-screening reception ahead of the inaugural 2022 MENA Film Festival Opening Ceremony starting at 2PM. Tickets are limited and sell out fast!

MENA Film Festival’s celebrated Opening Ceremony returns again with an offering of regional dishes, live music, filmmaker talks and Q&A’s and of course a selection of Vancouver premiers to kick off this year’s screenings!

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Performance

Marjan Alekhamis (Kamancheh) + Mohammad Amini (Kamancheh) + Negar Ezazi (Daf and percussion)
World-renowned musicians with global concert appearances, Mrs. Alekhamis and Mr. Amini provide sounds and textures from the traditional Iranian music repertoire to inaugurate the 2022 MENA Film Festival. They will be accompanied on percussion by Negar Ezazi, considered by many music experts as the best woman “Daf” player and instructor in Iran.

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Guest speaker

Azadeh Yamini-Hamedani is an Associate Professor of World Literature and Chair of the World Languages and Literatures Department at Simon Fraser University. She received her Ph.D. in German literature and philosophy with a secondary emphasis on Persian literature from the University of California at Berkeley.

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Catering

Tayybeh
Pre-screening refreshments of specialty dishes from Syria and across the MENA/SWANA region.

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Screening

Split Ends
Directed by Vancouver-based Iranian director Alireza Kazemipour, Split Ends is a timely narrative of a bald girl and a long-haired boy trying to solve their Hijab problems with the Tehran Morality Police.

My Father's Name
The world premiere of this year's winning MENA Canada Filmmaking Grant winner. My Father's Name by Farhiya Ahmed channels a young man's struggles to navigate the relationship with his estranged father.

Guests are encouraged to to stay for our documentary feature of Foragers immediately following the Opening events. Get your tickets here.