Malmö Arab Film Festival (MAFF) is the leading and largest film festival dedicated to Arab cinema outside the Arab world. Founded in 2011 by director Mouhamad Keblawi, the festival began as a grassroots cultural initiative in the city of Malmö and has since evolved into one of the most significant film festivals in southern Sweden and a key cultural platform in Europe.

Based in Malmö, MAFF operates as a year-round cultural organization committed to strengthening dialogue, inclusion, and democratic participation through cinema and moving images. The festival serves as a meeting point where audiences, filmmakers, cultural institutions, academics, and civil society organizations come together to engage with issues such as representation, gender equality, freedom of expression, and cultural diversity within a Swedish and European context.

Each year, the festival presents an extensive programme of feature films, documentaries, and short films from across the Arab region, many of which have premiered at major international festivals and received critical acclaim and prestigious awards. For Swedish audiences, MAFF provides a unique and often exclusive opportunity to experience these films on the big screen, accompanied by discussions, filmmaker talks, and contextual events that deepen engagement and understanding.

The festival’s structure includes official competition sections, panorama screenings, special programmes, school screenings, family programmes, seminars, workshops, and public conversations. Through its educational initiatives and regional outreach, MAFF works actively to broaden access to professional cinema culture at local, regional, and national levels, with a particular focus on Malmö and the Skåne region.

Parallel to the festival, MAFF Industry (formerly MAFF Industry Days – MID), launched in 2015, functions as an international industry platform fostering collaboration and co-production between the Nordic and Arab film industries. It has become an important hub for networking, project development, and long-term partnerships across regions.

At its core, MAFF is more than a film festival. It is a cultural actor dedicated to enriching Sweden’s cultural landscape and strengthening Malmö’s position as an open, creative, and internationally connected city. Through cinema’s universal language and powerful storytelling, MAFF creates spaces for dialogue, reflection, and shared experiences that transcend borders and bring communities closer together.

The 16th edition of Malmö Arab Film Festival will take place between the 10th April – 16th April, 2026.