Halloween edition of Finjan fil Bustan, a community afternoon with Arabic coffee and a screening of the Algerian horror film 'Roqia' in Arabic with English subtitles.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture is hosting a special Halloween edition of Finjan fil Bustan on Friday, October 30, from 3 PM to 7 PM. The afternoon pairs a community gathering with Arabic coffee and a screening of Roqia, a 2025 psychological horror film by Algerian director Yanis Koussim. The film is presented in Arabic with English subtitles.
Finjan fil Bustan is one of Al-Bustan's wider programs, a vibrant afternoon of games and community that runs alongside their exhibitions, film screenings, concerts, art workshops, and Arabic classes. This particular session leans into the Halloween season by combining that social side with a horror movie.
Roqia is set at the height of Algeria's civil war in 1993. It follows a young father who returns to his home village with amnesia and a bandaged face after a mysterious car accident. At the same time, an elderly Muslim exorcist is battling Alzheimer's, and his disciple fears that the older man's death may unleash a long-latent terror. Critics have called it one of the most accomplished Arab horror films ever made, a nightmarish vision of the Black Decade that draws on The Exorcist (1973) and Hiroshi Teshigahara's The Face of Another (1966).
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The screening is at Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, 310 Master Street in Philadelphia. It's a pay-as-you-wish event, with general admission free and a suggested donation of $7. The whole thing runs from 3 PM to 7 PM on Friday, October 30.
