Fameck Arab Film Festival
The largest Arab cinema festival in France
About Fameck Arab Film
Arab Cinema in the Spotlight in Moselle
Founded in 1990 at the Cité Sociale de Fameck, the Fameck – Val de Fensch Arab Film Festival was born from the desire to discover and promote Arab culture through cinema. The idea came from two young people from the neighborhood who proposed to Mario Giubilei, a worker priest and director of the Cité Sociale, to create a cultural event dedicated to the screening of Arab cinema. With Denis Darroy and René Cahen, he gave birth to what has become over the years the largest Arab cinema festival in France.
A Demanding Film Program
Film Selection
Each edition presents a selection of around forty films – feature films, short films, documentaries, and animated films – offering a comprehensive panorama of contemporary Arab film production. The selected works include previews, exclusives, and award-winning films from international festivals.
A Guest Country
Each year, a country from the Arab world is honored through a dedicated program. In 2025, Lebanon was the guest country with 12 productions on the bill. Palestinian cinema also holds an important place in the festival's program.
Meetings and Debates
The festival is not limited to screenings. It offers a program of meetings with directors, post-screening debates, and thematic round tables. As founder Mario Giubilei expressed: “We don’t screen just to screen, but to debate.” This dialogical dimension is at the heart of the festival's identity.
A Decentralized Festival
The Fameck Arab Film Festival extends its reach beyond the Fensch Valley. For several years, it has been decentralized to other towns in Moselle, notably at the Forum cinemas in Sarreguemines, allowing a wider audience to discover Arab cinema.
Prestigious Patrons
Each year, the festival invites film personalities as patrons or guests of honor. In 2025, Franco-Greek director Costa-Gavras was the patron of the 36th edition, participating in discussions and presenting films. Over the years, the festival has hosted many figures from French and international cinema.
A Cultural and Social Commitment
Organized by the U.A.S.F. Cité Sociale de Fameck and the Ligue de l'enseignement – Fédération des Œuvres Laïques de la Moselle with the help of volunteers, the festival carries a message of intercultural dialogue and living together. It contributes to giving families back their culture and allows young people to rediscover and develop their roots, in line with the vision of its founders.
Fameck Arab Film — edition 2026
37th edition of the Fameck – Val de Fensch Arab Film Festival, from October 1st to 11th, 2026. Sudan is the guest country for this edition, which highlights rare cinema and a "cinema of resistance" carried by Sudanese filmmakers creating despite war, exile, and difficulties. More than 110 screenings, about forty feature and short films from the Arab world, meetings with directors, and debates.
Sudan, Guest Country of the 37th Edition
For its 37th edition, from October 1st to 11th, 2026, the Fameck – Val de Fensch Arab Film Festival honors Sudan and its cinema, still largely unknown to the general public. This choice gives a strong identity to the edition: the organizers wish to introduce rare cinema, often made under difficult conditions but driven by immense creativity.
The edition focuses on a "cinema of resistance", showing how Sudanese artists continue to create despite war, exile, and economic difficulties. The program traces a journey marked by decades of political upheaval, from the 1989 coup d'état to the generation of the 2019 revolution, now dispersed by the ongoing conflict.
A Rich Program
The festival will offer more than 110 screenings, including about forty feature and short films from the Arab world (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, etc.). A section called "Opening to the World" also features films related to Arab world themes, even when produced in other countries. All films are screened in original version with French subtitles.
As every year, screenings are accompanied by meetings with directors and debates after the sessions, at the heart of the festival's identity.
Edition Awards
Several awards are presented during this 37th edition: the Feature Film Grand Prize, the Young Jury Prize, the Press Jury Prize, the Audience Award, and the Documentary Prize.
Highlights Fameck Arab Film 2026
- 37th edition, from October 1st to 11th, 2026
- Guest country: Sudan, focusing on a "cinema of resistance"
- More than 110 screenings, about forty feature and short films from the Arab world
- "Opening to the World" section and meetings with directors
- Several awards: Feature Film Grand Prize, Young Jury Prize, Press Jury Prize, Audience Award, Documentary Prize
Prices Fameck Arab Film 2026
Practical information — Fameck Arab Film
Access
The festival takes place mainly in Fameck, in the Fensch Valley in Moselle, with decentralized screenings in other towns.
- By car: A30 motorway (Fameck/Florange exit), 20 km north of Metz and 15 km south of Thionville. Free parking near the screening venues.
- By train: Uckange station (3 km from Fameck) or Thionville station (15 km), then bus connection. TER from Metz (20 min to Uckange) and Luxembourg.
- By bus: Public transport network of the Thionville-Fensch-Agglomération. Regular lines serving Fameck from Thionville and neighboring towns.
Screening Venues
Screenings are held in Fameck cinemas and partner venues in the Fensch Valley. Decentralized screenings are organized in other towns in Moselle, notably at the Cinémas Forum de Sarreguemines and other partner cinemas. The program specifies the venues and times for each screening.
Ticketing
Prices are affordable and generally include a full price and a reduced price (students, job seekers, seniors). Festival passes allowing attendance at multiple screenings at a reduced rate are available. Tickets can be purchased on the festival's website, at partner cinemas, and on-site before each screening, subject to availability.
Program
The complete festival program (films, schedules, venues, meetings with directors, debates) is published on the festival's website and distributed as a printed brochure available in cinemas, tourist offices, and cultural venues in the Fensch Valley and Moselle.
Meetings and Debates
Meetings with directors and post-screening debates are open to all spectators with a ticket for the relevant screening. These exchange sessions are at the heart of the festival's identity.
Accessibility
Partner cinemas are accessible to people with reduced mobility. Some screenings offer French subtitles for films in Arabic.
Contact
Website: www.festival-fameck.com
Facebook: @festivaldufilmarabedefameck
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Where does it take place — Fameck Arab Film
Cité Sociale de Fameck et salles partenaires du Val de Fensch
Cité Sociale de Fameck, 2 rue de Touraine, 57290 Fameck, 57290 Fameck