This Thursday, the 10-day long 13th annual Arab Film Festival will kick off with an opening night reception at the Castro Theatre, first with the Noor Awards at 6pm, followed by a special screening of Pomegranates and Myrrh at 7:30pm.

In the week that follows, films and tributes will take place in San Francisco (Oct. 15-18), San Jose (Oct. 17-18), Berkeley (Oct. 23-25) and Los Angeles (Oct. 23-25).

The mission of the ArabFilm Festival is to enhance public understanding of Arab culture and to provide alternative representations of Arabs that contradict the stereotypical images frequently encountered in the mass media. The 13th annual event screens films from and about the Arab world that provide realistic perspectives on Arab people, culture, art, history and politics. Events take place in San Francisco, Berkeley, San Jose and Los Angeles.

For tickets to any of the festival's events, which run through Oct. 25, log onto www.brownpapertickets.com.