Everything You Need to See at Cinema Akil This May

Dubai's favourite independent cinema is having a moment and the May lineup is proof. If you have not made Cinema Akil part of your regular rotation yet, this is your sign.

May's programme is the kind of lineup that reminds you why independent cinema exists in the first place: to show you the films that actually have something to say.

Here is everything happening this month.

The big screens

Michael (2026), directed by Antoine Fuqua, traces the life of Michael Jackson from his early days in the Jackson 5 all the way to his ascent as the most iconic entertainer the world has ever seen. The ambition, the artistry, the complexity behind the legend. This is the kind of film that demands to be seen in a cinema.

And yes, Miranda Priestly is back. The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026), directed by David Frankel, picks up with fashion's most formidable force navigating the collapse of the magazine industry. Former assistant Emily Charlton, now running her own luxury brand, re-enters the picture. The power dynamics have shifted. The drama has not.

The films that will stay with you

Sirat (2024), directed by Oliver Laxe, follows a father and son searching for a missing daughter across Morocco, their journey cutting through rave culture and turning slowly into something much more elemental. A test of endurance, of hope, of what love actually looks like when it has nowhere left to go.

Palestine 36 (2025), directed by Annemarie Jacir, is set in 1936 British Mandate Palestine and follows a young man navigating identity and resistance as unrest builds around him. Essential, urgent, and exactly the kind of film that Cinema Akil was built to platform.

Sentimental Value (2024), directed by Joachim Trier, reunites two sisters with their estranged filmmaker father. A quiet, aching film about memory, distance, and everything that gets inherited without being chosen.

All That's Left of You (2024), directed by Cherien Dabis, follows a mother recounting generations of displacement and trauma leading to her son's confrontation at a West Bank protest. One of the most important films on this list.

Yard Screenings for Art Month at Alserkal Avenue

Cinema Akil is also bringing three extraordinary films outdoors for Art Month at Alserkal Avenue, and this selection alone is worth clearing your schedule for.

Adnan: Being and Time (2025), directed by Marie Valentine Regan, is an expressionistic portrait of the incomparable Etel Adnan, exploring her life, art, and reflections on time and what it means to truly endure.

Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV (2023), directed by Amanda Kim, is a vibrant, joyful chronicle of the visionary artist widely regarded as the father of video art. If you have ever been moved by an installation, this is the origin story.

And then there is The Color of Pomegranates (1969), directed by Sergei Parajanov. A film that does not tell so much as conjure. A poetic, visually intoxicating retelling of the life of Armenian poet Sayat-Nova, built entirely from symbolic dreamlike tableaux. One of cinema's great works, under the open sky.

Coming soon

Arab Cinema Week returns for its 5th edition in early June 2026. Details on the programme, the souk and all activities are dropping soon. Watch this space.

All screenings and tickets at cinemaakil.com