Casa Árabe is collaborating once again with the Tarifa-Tangier African Film Festival (FCAT), which takes place from May 22 to 30 at various venues. In this 23rd edition, the collaboration includes the festival’s expansion to Madrid with a screening on May 28 of the film “La vie après Siham” by Egyptian director Namir Abdel Messeeh.
Following the screening, there will be a discussion with Egyptian photographer Belal Darder in conversation with Karim Hauser, Cultural Coordinator at Casa Árabe.
May 28, 2026, at 7:00 p.m., in the Casa Árabe Auditorium (Calle Alcalá, 62).
Screening in Original Version with Spanish Subtitles (VOSE). Discussion in Spanish. Buy your ticket online now.
- 5 euros general admission at the box office.
- 4 euros: Internet, officially unemployed individuals, students of the Casa Árabe Language Center, and holders of the Youth Card (Carné Joven) upon presentation of the corresponding document. Discounts cannot be combined.
Advance sales at www.casaarabe.es until 12:00 PM on the day of the screening. Any tickets not sold online will be available for purchase on the day of the screening at the Casa Árabe headquarters starting one hour before each showing (cash or card payment). Tickets are numbered.
“Life After Siham,” by Namir Abdel Messeeh (Egypt, France, 2025, 76 min).
When Siham disappears, Namir cannot grasp that she is gone forever. For him, a mother is immortal. Namir then embarks on a journey to investigate his family history, between Egypt and France. Echoing the films of Youssef Chahine, a story of exile unfolds. A story full of love, too. Alive, forever.
Namir Abdel Messeeh spent his early years in Egypt before settling in France, where he studied directing at La Fémis. He made several short films before tackling more intimate themes with Toi, Waguih. His first feature film, La Vierge, les Coptes et moi (The Virgin, the Copts, and Me), humorously explores his relationship with his homeland and his Coptic family. Selected for numerous festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, and CPH:DOX, the film won the Silver Tanit at the Carthage JCC in 2011 and the Best Documentary award at the Doha Film Festival, before reaching 112,000 viewers in French cinemas. La Vie après Siham (Life After Siham) is his second feature film. It had its world premiere at the ACID section of Cannes.