The Muslim International Film Festival (MIFF) returns to London's Leicester Square from 2 to 5 July, with the same aim each year: to provide a platform for Muslim filmmakers from around the world and to bring their stories to a wider audience.
Building on that focus, the festival's second edition brings together filmmakers from the UK, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Algeria and Palestine for a programme of premieres and special screenings, including around four to five female-led stories both in front of and behind the camera, which explore themes including racial profiling, questions of identity and the spiritual significance of Hajj .
Among the opening highlights is the UK premiere of Hijra , a 2025 adventure drama written and directed by Saudi filmmaker Shahad Ameen , which screens on opening night.
Continuing through the programme, Once Upon a Time in Gaza by Gaza-born twin brothers Tarzan and Arab Nasser will screen the day before closing night as part of the festival's wider selection of films from across the region and beyond.
On the final day of the festival, Human Tide , directed by British filmmaker David Ward, will be among the closing-day screenings.
Ahead of the festival, The New Arab speaks to MIFF Festival Director and UK Muslim Film (UKMF), a charity focused on increasing Muslim representation both on and off screen and which also works as a cultural consultant on film and television productions to ensure Muslim communities and faith are portrayed with accuracy and care, director Sajid Varda , about this year's programme. Unapologetic storytelling "This year is really about defiance and the ties that hold us together. Whether people attending the festival are Muslim or from other faiths, it is about understanding everyone's stories, because everyone at the festival will have a story," Sajid begins.
Reflecting on the previous edition, he points to the emotional response from audiences, adding that screenings often left viewers visibly moved.
"Because they saw themselves on screen, they felt valued, they felt appreciated, they felt this was their home," Sajid tells The New Arab. Turning to the filmmakers, he describes a similar reaction from those presenting their work on the big screen, sharing how many left screenings in tears, "because they felt this was an environment where they finally felt they belonged."
He adds that the atmosphere contributed to that feeling, noting the absence of alcohol-focused networking spaces and the availability of prayer spaces, which he says helped create a sense of inclusion and shared experience.
Sajid tells The New Arab that the festival is designed to open doors for emerging voices and give filmmakers confidence in telling their stories.
"All I want is for them to feel enlightened, inspired, happy, brave and courageous, and to feel that there is nothing to apologise for. We are confidently Muslim, and that's something we should be shouting from the rafters, as they say," he adds. 'How can we help you?' Organised by UKMF, Sajid says the festival's growth would not have been possible without the backing of its partners, many of whom have returned for a second year while new organisations continue to come on board.
He says the level of support has been particularly encouraging at a time when many organisations are looking to strengthen their allyship with Muslim communities, especially amid rising Islamophobia in the UK, including the 'Unite the Kingdom' rally in London organised by far-right figure Tommy Robinson , and in Ireland, an arson attack at an Islamic centre and mosque in Dublin , which left worshippers shocked and afraid.
"We've been hearing a lot of, 'How can we help you?'" he says. "Of course, you'll always get some uncertainty, but what we've found is that we've built some wonderful allyship."
Among this year's supporters is Warner Music Group , which Sajid says quickly recognised the festival's vision.
Beyond sponsorship, the partnership will support the festival's live script pitch, where five shortlisted filmmakers will present their debut feature ideas to industry executives and a live audience. Warner Music Group will also provide mentorship and music consultation for emerging filmmakers.
"Can you imagine Gladiator without the soundtrack?" Sajid asks. "You can't. It is that beautiful music composed by Hans Zimmer that brings it to life and sets it on fire. So we have this wonderful relationship where Warner says, 'Look, we've got a script pitch live, and we can talk about that', which involves up to five filmmakers who have been shortlisted to pitch their debut feature to industry executives in front of a live audience. There are various prizes and awards, including mentorship and Warner providing consulting for music for features — a whole host of things."
The festival has also received support from organisations including the BFI, BAFTA, Channel 4, the Aziz Foundation , Curate and Smash Media, alongside a growing network of patrons and corporate partners.
Sajid says that support is helping create opportunities for emerging filmmakers through networking events, panel discussions and industry connections.
Looking ahead, he believes the next challenge is encouraging more people from Muslim communities to see film festivals as spaces for them.
"Our communities aren't generally festival-goers," he says. "They might go to the cinema or watch television at home, but film festivals are still quite a new thing."
He hopes that will continue to change as audiences recognise the influence of film and television.
"Film, TV, arts and culture are incredibly impactful, as we've seen with what's happened in Gaza," he says.
"By supporting this festival, people are also supporting the next generation of filmmakers, who will tell important stories about our communities and our contribution to society." On-screen and off-stage, MIFF keeps Palestine in focus Speaking of Gaza, Sajid says this year's festival, like the previous one, has a special place for talent from, or work focusing on, Palestine.
"I really feel that even now, Palestine is disappearing from the narrative, especially when it comes to mainstream media. We know that there is this 'peace agreement deal' which is going on between Iran, well, alleged one between Iran, America and Israel, but Gaza's almost disappeared from the world, and we know what's going on,” Sajid shares.
He adds that the festival aims to keep Palestinian stories present, saying, "For us, it's about ensuring we are still focusing on the stories, whether they are around the reality on the ground, which are so traumatic, as well as the ones which bring us a little bit of light-heartedness from Palestine as well."
Sajid says the festival is aware of other Palestine-focused festivals and does not seek to overlap with their work.
"We would love to have had more, but I know there are wonderful film festivals which are focused on Palestine, and for us, what we don’t want to do is overlap," he says. "I don’t feel that's kind, and I don't feel that's disingenuous."
He adds that MIFF remains open to Palestinian stories across genres.
"Our festival is about stories from across the board. If we happen to find some wonderful stories from Palestine, Alhamdulillah , fantastic, we would love to show them, while at the same time respecting there is a wonderful Palestinian film festival that is doing incredible work."
He stresses that Palestine remains central to cultural conversations at the festival.
"Palestine must stay at the forefront. We must continue talking about it," he says.
"In the last edition, we had bowls of pin badges for Palestine and we just said, look, if you choose to take it, it's up to you. We had none left. Everyone was wearing them, Muslims and non-Muslims alike."
He adds that the festival aims to create space for open discussion. "We talked about Palestine, because as a festival I don’t feel we should shy away from that," he says.
Sajid also criticises what he describes as restrictions at other industry events, and says festivals have a responsibility to respond appropriately to harmful content.
"Whereas other festivals I feel have taken a very different approach, they have made it very clear to their actors and talent perhaps not to talk about it," he says.
"There were some light-hearted jokes made about genocide at a film festival. We posted about it and said this is unacceptable. We shouldn’t take the discussion of the rape of Palestinian hostages — as they are not prisoners, but in fact hostages — lightly," he says.
"As a festival, you have a duty to look after everybody there and not tolerate hate speech." A surprise in store In the meantime, Sajid says he is looking forward to welcoming audiences to this year's festival, where he hopes they will discover new stories, meet new people, and take part in conversations that continue long after the credits roll.
As well as the films themselves, he reveals there is one moment he is especially excited to share with festival-goers.
Without giving too much away, Sajid says he has been working on a surprise tribute behind the scenes that even his own team has not yet seen.
"We have a very special surprise in store for the guests – something I've put together, which not even my team have seen. It's something I worked on with an editor, which I feel is such a beautiful nod to the Muslim filmmaking world. I haven't seen anything like it before, so I'm really looking forward to it. I think it will be a very special and quite emotional experience," he shares. For Sajid, however, the festival is about more than what happens on screen. He explains that some of the most meaningful moments come from speaking to audiences after the screenings and hearing their reactions.
He says he is looking forward to finding out what brought people to the festival, which films stayed with them, and how the stories may have changed their perspective.
That hope is reflected in this year's programme, Sajid adds, which brings together films from different countries, cultures and communities under the festival's strapline, 'Discovering worlds, changing perspectives'.
"Especially at a time where we're being encouraged to retreat into our own bubbles, films should remind us that our shared humanity is always bigger than our differences," he says.
Ultimately, Sajid hopes people leave the festival with a renewed sense of connection and optimism.
"I would love people to come out of those screenings feeling that they know a little bit more about themselves, feeling more pride and excitement and hope, and realising that we're all allies, and that this is a journey we need to be taking together," he concludes. Alongside its screenings, the programme features workshops, panel discussions and live pitching sessions. For the full programme and tickets, click here . The New Arab will also be attending the festival, with full coverage to follow on our social media platforms. Zainab Mehdi is a British Iraqi journalist and the Associate Features Editor at The New Arab. She holds a BSc in Modern History and International Relations from the University of Essex and an MA in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from SOAS Follow her on Instagram: @zaiamehdi_ / @zainabmehdiwrites_