The Helsinki Arabic Film Festival (HelAFF) ended its third edition on Saturday night with a closing ceremony in Helsinki at which the jury announced awards for films and performers from Egypt, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Algeria.

Helsinki, Finland — September 11, 2026 HELSINKI — An extraordinary story of survival and courage was presented at the Helsinki Arab Film Festival on Thursday evening with the screening of Hijacked Twice, directed by Mohamed El Mougy, a documentary about Saudi pilot Captain Tarek Mostafa El-Tayeb and his experience of surviving two separate aircraft hijackings. El-Tayeb attended the screening at Kino Korjaamo and spoke to the audience about his experiences. Following the film,

HELSINKI — The third edition of the Helsinki Arab Film Festival opened Wednesday evening in the Finnish capital, bringing together diplomats, filmmakers, artists, cultural figures and representatives of Finnish and Arab organisations for an evening celebrating Arab cinema and cross-cultural dialogue.

Mr. Ramy Hassan Madbouly (Egypt) presenting his film "Therapy" in Helsinki

Helsinki, Finland — September 9–12, 2026 The Helsinki Arab Film Festival will return to the Finnish capital from September 9 to 12, 2026, for its third edition, bringing four days of contemporary Arab cinema, cultural exchange, and international dialogue to the heart of Helsinki. This year’s festival will feature an expanded official competition celebrating excellence across multiple categories, including Best Feature Film, Best Short Film, Best Documentary Film, Best Actor,

Helsinki - June 2, 2026 The Helsinki Arab Film Festival (HelAFF) has appointed Dr Hikmat Al-Baydhani as Head of the Jury for its 2026 edition. A leading figure in Iraqi cinema and television, Dr Al-Baydhani is Head of the Department of Cinematic and Television Arts at the College of Fine Arts, University of Baghdad. He holds a PhD in Arts Philosophy specialising in cinema sound engineering and has played a major role in developing film and television in Iraq and the Arab worl

HelAFF'26 - Helsinki Arab Film Festival - is back for a 3rd edition. The Open-Call for Filmmakers is now open from April 25 till May 25 2026.