Gabès Festival 2026: Exploring Regional Themes with Oliver Laxe, Kaouther Ben Hania, and Hend Sabry

Oliver Laxe’s film *Sirāt*, a drama set during a Moroccan desert rave, served as the closing feature of the eighth edition of the Gabès Cinema Festival, held over the weekend in the Tunisian coastal city of Gabès, where Laxe was present.

Located about four hours south of Tunis, Gabès blends natural beauty with industrial landscapes. Festival co-director Afef Ben Mahmoud noted the area’s unique characteristics, stating, “It’s a very particular… There’s the sea, the oasis, and at the same time, the industrial side.” She emphasized that this diversity has attracted numerous film shoots, thanks to its captivating scenery and light. “It’s also an extremely engaged city by comparison with the rest of Tunisia… this has fed into the festival, which is known throughout the Arab world for its activism,” she continued. “We’re really in the realm of cutting-edge, politically engaged cinema, cinema that’s proactive, that wants to change, that wants to raise awareness.”

High winds caused a planned open-air screening of *Sirāt* at the nearby Chenini oasis to be relocated to the main hub of the newly refurbished Mohamed Bardi cultural complex.

Ben Mahmoud expressed satisfaction with Laxe’s participation, which included screenings of all four of his feature films to date. “He did an amazing masterclass. He was very present and open, getting about in the city, talking and interacting with people. There’s also a religious and spiritual side to Gabès which I think chimed with him,” she said.

Geopolitical Tensions

This year’s festival unfolded against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions affecting the Middle East and North Africa, largely stemming from the Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict and the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah clashes in Lebanon, alongside the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. While Gabès is geographically distant from immediate military threats, the impacts of regional instability are palpable. Ben Mahmoud highlighted the economic consequences resulting from disrupted fuel supplies, trade, and travel.

Having experienced the early days of the Iran-U.S. War as a long-time resident of Qatar, Ben Mahmoud found herself organizing the festival remotely amid missile interceptions, all while managing her children’s online schooling.

Ben Mahmoud remarked on the festival’s mission, saying, “I’ve always regarded art as an act of resistance. All the time that it was doable, we were going to do it because even if we can’t change the world, if we can touch it and raise awareness, that’s already an achievement.” She emphasized the festival’s ongoing commitment to politically engaged programming and its exploration of complex realities within the MENA region and beyond.

The festival commenced on April 26 with a cine-concert featuring Lebanese composer and pianist Cynthia Zaven, along with sound designer Rana Eid, presenting *Palestine: A New Narration*. The film’s lineup included Vladlena Sandu’s *Memory*, Cyril Aris’ *A Sad and Beautiful World*, Hasan Hadi’s *The President’s Cake*, Kamal Aljafari’s *With Hasan in Gaza*, and Homayoun Ghanizadeh’s *Oh, What Happy Days*, which was represented by the director from Tehran. Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania also participated, conducting a masterclass and screening her Oscar-nominated film *The Voice of Hind Rajab*, marking a homecoming for her.

Ben Mahmoud aimed to create stronger ties between the cinema, virtual reality, and video art segments of the festival. “I really wanted people to feel like they were all part of the same event, rather than as if they were moving from one festival to another,” she explained.

This philosophy is reflective of Ben Mahmoud’s diverse career in dance, theater, and cinema, including her recent acting credits in *The Scarecrows* and *Streams*, and her directorial debut *Backstage*. She pointed to *Oh, What Happy Days*! as fostering cross-genre connections through the inclusion of renowned video artist Shirin Neshat.

The idea of merging different art forms also inspired the installation *Vivre Encore (Live Again)*, based on Nicolas Wadimoff’s documentary *Who Is Still Alive*, featuring nine former Gaza residents recounting their stories through chalk drawings. “The idea is that the viewer follows the installation and ends up in the cinema theatre to see the entire film,” Ben Mahmoud elaborated.

Other notable events included the XR work *Under the Sky*, by French artist Jérémy Griffaud, blending physical art with immersive technology, and a panel discussing costume conservation in Arab cinema, culminating in an exhibition celebrating costumes from local classics such as *The Silences of the Palace* and *Khochkhach*.

Ben Mahmoud noted that while this year’s opening ceremony featured prominent Tunisian stars like Hind Sabry and Dhafer L’Abidine, the festival intends to maintain a focus on authentic projects over star power. “The important thing for me is to find the right people and projects which fit this festival,” she stated. “It’s not really a question of making it bigger or smaller, but rather how to stay authentic and never forget or lose sight of its unique focus on the moving image in all its forms.”