Now in its 29th year, the Arab Film Festival is underway across the Bay Area, bringing films and filmmakers from across the Arab world to local audiences. 

As Managing Director Maya Labban helped host a South Bay screening this week, she said the festival's message matters now more than ever.

"The whole point of us is to show Americans, non-Americans, how Arabs actually are, and not what's usually portrayed in the media, where we are always the terrorists or the damsels in distress," Labban said.

The festival showcases stories and perspectives that are rarely seen on U.S. screens, highlighting both established and emerging voices from the region.

"I think movies, since forever, they just teach you that. They teach you the humanity. Art is about humanity. They teach you about different cultures and different stories all around for you to understand what's going on," Labban said.

This year's lineup includes five Oscar entries, among them three Palestinian stories. 

Executive Director Serge Balkalian said the festival faced significant funding challenges, prompting organizers to find new ways to keep the program intact.

"The local community really stepped up for us, which was huge, so we didn't have to cut programming. In fact, it turned into a banner year," Balkalian said. "We had our Arab women's showcase in the spring. We were at the Cannes Film Festival. First time for the organization."

Festival leaders say the goal is not only to screen films but to make them accessible to as many people as possible.

"I want them to see that we are exactly humans, we are not the other, we are not someone that, we should feel shame when we say we're Arab, or when people say they are Muslim Arab," Labban said. "I want them to feel that they also are a fabric of the American society."

Screenings continue in Oakland this weekend.