The partnership will take place at The Garden Cinema in Holborn, London.
SAFAR Film Festival and The Garden Cinema will take part in this year’s Palestine Cinema Days with a one-day-only screening of The Dupes from 11:30am to 1:30pm on Sunday, 2 November 2025. Tickets are free and available in limited numbers, with a maximum of two per booking.
The collaboration follows a callout from Film Lab Palestine inviting cinemas, festivals and organisers worldwide to showcase Palestinian cinema. The initiative aims to spotlight Palestinian stories and voices, and to unite global audiences through film.
Directed by Tewfik Saleh and released in 1972, The Dupes is regarded as a landmark of Arab cinema. Set in 1958, the black-and-white drama follows three Palestinian refugees, Abu Qais, Assad and Marwan, who attempt to leave life in the camps of Lebanon and cross into Kuwait in search of safety and opportunity. The men come from different generations and backgrounds, yet are bound by a shared homeland and the same dream of a better future. Adapted from Ghassan Kanafani’s 1962 novella Men in the Sun, the film explores trust, sacrifice and the human cost of displacement in the years after the Nakba.
Tewfik Saleh, born in Alexandria in 1926, was a pioneering Egyptian filmmaker known for bold, socially engaged work that often challenged censorship. His realistic style and political focus earned international recognition and awards throughout his career. He passed away in 2013, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to influence filmmakers across the region.
SAFAR Film Festival is the United Kingdom’s largest celebration of Arab cinema and runs annually each June at venues across the country. Organised by The Arab British Centre, the festival champions the breadth of filmmaking from the SWANA region and provides a platform for early-career directors and curators while connecting new audiences to established classics.
The Garden Cinema in Holborn provides an intimate setting for this screening, bringing one of the region’s most significant films to central London. With complimentary entry and limited capacity, early booking is advised.
GO: Visit www.thegardencinema.co.uk for more information.