Black Box Cinema at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2022

Black Box Cinema, image via nawafaljanahi.com

Black Box Cinema is a 50-seat cinema founded and managed by filmmaker Nawaf Al Janahi, created specifically to be at non-film events, to “ spread film culture in new circles and giving different audiences the chance to come closer to Arab cinema”.

It was launched in 2014 at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair and returned annually between 2014 and 2017, screening 62 narrative and documentary short films from the Arab region during that period.


After a 4 year hiatus, Black Box Cinema returns to the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair this month, between May 23-29.

This year’s programme includes 22 short films from 13 countries, including 7 short films from Germany, this year’s Guest of Honor Country at the book fair.

The program also includes two talks (conducted in Arabic only).

  • Novel’s Word and Film’s Image with guest speakers Fadel Al Mheiri and Nujoom Al Ghanem, about how storytelling differs between the medium of literature and the medium of cinema, considering the continuous comparison between novels and the films adapted from them.

  • Screenplay Format with guest speaker Nadia Eliewat about the basics of writing screenplays in the professional format, and how it differs from writing for literature, an important introduction to any writer who wants to enter the field of writing films.


All the films are subtitled in English, and admission is free to the public. You can find the film synopsis and the detailed schedule here.

Line up of the 15 short films from the UAE and the Arab region:

  • Ambience (Wisam Al Jafari, Palestine)

  • Bond (Hussam Al Hulwah, Saudi Arabia)

  • Gair (Kaashif Hajee, UAE)

  • Life on the Horn (Mo Harawe, Somalia)

  • Manara (Zayn Alexander, Lebanon)

  • Mid-Way (Rola Shamas, Lebanon)

  • My Father Is Not Dead Yet (Marwan Mowaffak, Egypt)

  • The Paths of Wrath (Lina Arious, Morocco)

  • Sarah (Alaa Abo Farraj, Syria)

  • Al-Sit (Suzannah Mirghani, Sudan)

  • Sound of Memories (Gargi Chakrabarti, UAE)

  • Tala'vision (Murad Abu Eisheh, Jordan)

  • Truce (Saleh Khataybeh, Jordan)

  • Umah (Shoayb Khattab, UAE)

  • When the Sea Was Blue (Amr El Seyoufi, Egypt)


Line up of the 7 short films from Germany:

  • Appropriation Takes You on a Weird Ride (Nina Fischer and Maroan el Sani) 

  • The Best Orchestra in the World (Henning Backhaus)

  • Elle (Luise Doenschen)

  • Jeijay (Maren Wiese and Petra Stipetic)

  • Noctuidae (Alexandra Mauritz)

  • The One Who Crossed the Sea (Jonas Riemer)

  • Proll (Adrian Figueroa)


FilmHind MezainaBlack Box Cinema at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2022, Nawaf Al JanahiComment