MOMO Film Program in collaboration with KINO, Arab Film Festival & Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of MOMO, the Arab Film Festival, and the Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam, we are teaming up for a unique film program at KINO! MOMO presents ‘Bubbling Baby’, the Arab Film Festival showcases a selection of short films on Friday 18 April and AFFR presents ‘The Ghost of Piramida’ on Saturday 19 April. Join us for this special cinematic experience!

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FRIDAY 18 April program:

MOMO presents: ‘Bubbling Baby’
A dynamic documentary that celebrates the rich heritage of Caribbean-Dutch bubbling music—a powerful, danceable genre symbolizing freedom and cultural ownership within the diaspora. Director Sharine Rijsenburg meticulously traces the historical and cultural roots of this club music while spotlighting the often-overlooked female voices in the scene. Through this feminist lens, the film creates a vibrant symphony showcasing how bubbling music embodies an emancipated lifestyle and continues to evolve in contemporary settings.

Arab Film Festival presents Shorts Selection: ‘In het Ritme van de Tijd’
‘Night of Love’ (19 min) by Helmy Nouh (Egypt)
An intimate portrayal of a man caught in profound emotional confusion.

‘Fish in the Sea’ (7 min) by Paul Edward (Egypt)
This experimental short film creates a hypnotic exploration of the relationship between humans and the underwater world.

‘Antidote’ (21 min) by Hassan Saeed Madlough (Saudi Arabia)
Set in Saihat, this touching narrative follows young Ali, who uses his father’s cassette recorder to capture performances by folk singer Habib Ben Ali.

‘CARPOOL’ (12 min) by Mohamed Essam (USA)
A poetic reflection on loss and connection. Elderly Patrick offers free rides to university students while the timeless music of legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kalthum fills his car like echoes from the past. Her songs weave through his memories of Suzane, his deceased wife, as he shares fragments of their love story with each passenger.

SATURDAY 19 April program:

MOMO presents ‘Bubbling Baby’
A dynamic documentary that celebrates the rich heritage of Caribbean-Dutch bubbling music—a powerful, danceable genre symbolizing freedom and cultural ownership within the diaspora. Director Sharine Rijsenburg meticulously traces the historical and cultural roots of this club music while spotlighting the often-overlooked female voices in the scene. Through this feminist lens, the film creates a vibrant symphony showcasing how bubbling music embodies an emancipated lifestyle and continues to evolve in contemporary settings.

Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam presents ‘The Ghost of Piramide’
Last century, the Soviet Union built the mining town of Pyramiden, not far from the North Pole, on the island Spitsbergen in the Norwegian Svelbard archipelago. The Russians who went to work there were dreaming of a better life, but that dream didn’t last long. The settlement has long since been abandoned. Three members of the Danish band Efterklang travel there to sample the atmosphere and make field recordings for a new album. They tap, rub and blow into everything they can find, shoving planks back and forth, climbing into pipes, and recording the sound of stacks of Soviet documents falling to the floor. The scenes of recording in Efterklang are interspersed with archive footage from a former inhabitant who moved to the settlement in 1946. In voice-over, he talks about life in Pyramiden: the expectations, the work and getting used to the extreme climate, as well as how, during a skiing competition, the people there came face-to-face with a polar bear. Described at the time as “the pearl of the Soviet Union,” the photogenic town was a rewarding subject for photographers and filmmakers alike. And even now, the abandoned buildings with photos still hanging on their peeling walls are a fine visual complement to their surroundings.

TICKETS & ACCESS:
– Access with a MOMO day ticket (for that day) or passe-partout. Alternatively, purchase a single film ticket via KINO.
– All films have English subtitles, except for CARPOOL which is in English.

Rotterdam Arab Film Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary edition from May 28-June 1. The festival kicks off with a tribute to Umm Kulthum at De Doelen featuring live performances, while LantarenVenster hosts a carefully curated selection of feature films, documentaries and short films showcasing the power, diversity and relevance of Arab cinema. New this year is Arabesque at FENIX: a cultural weekend featuring film, live music, spoken word, fashion, crafts and culinary arts.

The first initiative for Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam (AFFR) began in 2000. That’s why, this year, the festal is celebrating its 25th anniversary in grand style. AFFR is not just looking back but also looking ahead, with retrospectives, debates, classics, immersive media, current issues, and a renewed website. As part of AFFR 25 Years! the festival will programme an online audience favourite every first Friday of the month – The Five Films that Moved You – organise a special edition of the annual screening during RA Month, and collaborate with Motel Mozaïque, which also celebrates its 25th anniversary this year! This year’s festival takes place on 8–12 October, at LantarenVenster and Theater Rotterdam/Schouwburg – and at various venues in Rotterdam and elsewhere throughout the year.