African & Middle Eastern
Alice has precious few (but building) films from the Middle East and even fewer from the vast continent of Africa.
Middle Eastern films are often highly politicised, bringing subjects to the attention of audiences that would otherwise know little about them. Film makers are often dealing with various forms of political and social oppression and even armed conflicts to bring their stories to light. Exotic scenery, allegorical storytelling and close-up exposure to cultural norms, so different from our own, bring a kind of immersion only rivalled by being there.
To find a title from a specific country use the By Country link on the left.
Pictured: A Time for Drunken Horses
Turtles Can Fly (2004)
8.1/10
Director: Bahman Ghobadi
Starring: Soran Ebrahim, Hirsh Feyssal, Avaz Latif
On the border of Iraq and Turkey, in the days leading up to the second US-led war, a young technology-obsessed boy nicknamed Satellite convinces the v... Read more
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U-Carmen e-Khayelitsha (2005)
Director: Mark Dornford-May
Starring: Pauline Malefane, Andile Tshoni, Lungelwa Blou, Zweilungile Sidloyi, Andries Mba...
A vibrant and cinematic re-telling of Bizet's famous opera, set in modern South Africa, and starring the sublime Pauline Malefane as the eponymous cig... Read more
Ulysses' Gaze (1995)
7.6/10
Director: Theo Angelopoulos
Starring: Harvey Keitel, Erland Josephson, Maia Morgenstern
Recounts the odyssey of an American filmmaker (Harvey Keitel) who returns to his Greek hometown after 35 years to pursue a dream of finding three reel... Read more
Under the Shadow (2015)
6.9/10
Director: Babak Anvari
Starring: Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi
Infused with autobiographical elements, Babak Anvaris debut feature is a terrifying allegory of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, a now often overlooked con... Read more
Ushpizin (2005)
7.4/10
Director: Gidi Dar
Starring: Shuli Rand, Michal Bat Sheva Rand, Shaul Mizrahi, Ilan Ganani
Devout Orthodox Jews Moshe and Mali (played by scriptwriter and devout Orthodox Jew Shuli Rand and his real-life wife) are celebrating Sukkot, a time... Read more
Viva Riva! (2010)
6.2/10
Director: Djo Munga
Starring: Patsha Bay, Manie Malone
Returning to his hometown of Kinshasa with a truckload of gasoline, hijacked from neighbouring Angola, that he's looking to unload for the right price... Read more
Voices of Iraq (2004)
6.4/10
This ground-breaking documentary saw 150 digital cameras given out to the people of Iraq. They filmed their daily lives and documented their views an... Read more
Wadjda (2012)
7.6/10
Director: Haifaa Al-Mansour
Starring: Reem Abdullah, Abdullrahman Al Gohani, Ahd , Waad Mohammed
A rebellious Saudi Arabian girl hatches a plan to get her hands on the bicycle she craves in this coming-of-age story from first time director Haifaa... Read more
Walk On Water (2004)
7.4/10
Director: Eytan Fox
Starring: Lior Ashkenazi, Knut Berger, Carolina Peters, Gidon Shemer
Eyal is a Mossad assassin sent to kill an aging Nazi war criminal. The target's grandaughter is living on a kibbutz in Israel and her brother is abou... Read more
War Witch ( Rebelle ) (2012)
7.1/10
Director: Kim Nguyen
Starring: Rachel Mwanza, Alain Bastien, Serge Kanyinda, Ralph Prosper, Mizinga Mwinga
A.k.a. "Rebelle". Komona (Rachel Mwanza) is only 12 years old when she is kidnapped by rebel soldiers and enslaved to a life of guerrilla warfare in t... Read more