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
Gaia (2021)
5.6/10
An injured forest ranger on a routine mission is saved by two off-the-grid survivalists. What is initially a welcome rescue grows more suspicious as t... Read more
Half of a Yellow Sun (2013)
6.2/10
Director: Biyi Bandele
Starring: Thandie Newton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anika Noni Rose, Joseph Mawle, John Boyega
In the late 1960s, twin sisters Olanna (Thandie Newton) and Kainene (Anika Noni Rose) arrive back home in Nigeria, having finished their studies in En... Read more
Halfaouine: Boy of the Terraces (1990)
6.7/10
Director: Ferid Boughedir
Starring: Mustapha Adouani
A coming-of-age comedy/drama set in Tunisia. Twelve-year-old Noura is an impressionable boy who must learn to reconcile two conflicting worlds - the l... Read more
Homeland (2013)
6.2/10
Director: Mohamed Hamidi
Starring: Tewfik Jallab, Jamel Debbouze
A.k.a. "Né quelque part". 26-year-old law student Farid has lived in France his whole life. When his father falls ill and sends him to Algeria to save... Read more
Honey ( Bal ) (2008)
5.3/10
Director: Semith Kaplanoglu
Starring: Bora Altas
Yusuf is an only child who lives with his parents in the isolated mountains of North-Eastern Turkey. His father, Yakup, is a traditional beekeeper. He... Read more
Hunting Elephants (2013)
6.4/10
Director: Reshef Levi
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Sasson Gabai, Moni Moshonov
"Hunting Elephants" centers on a 12-year-old Israeli boy named Jonathan, who is dealt a cruel double-blow by fate. First his father is killed in a fre... Read more
Incendies (2011)
8.2/10
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Remy Girard, Melissa Desormeaux-Poulan, Lubna Azabal, Maxim Gaudette
In the highly-acclaimed suspense thriller 'Incendies', a mothers dying wish creates a painful puzzle her children are forced to solve. At the reading... Read more
Incendies (Blu-ray) (2011)
8.3/10
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Remy Girard, Melissa Desormeaux-Poulan, Lubna Azabal, Maxim Gaudette
In the highly-acclaimed suspense thriller 'Incendies', a mothers dying wish creates a painful puzzle her children are forced to solve. At the reading... Read more
Incitement (2019)
7/10
Director: Yaron Zilberman
Details the year leading to the assassination of Israel's Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin (1922-1995), from the point of view of the assassin. A psycho... Read more
James' Journey to Jerusalem (2002)
7.5/10
Director: Ra'anan Alexandrowicz
Starring: Siyabonga Melongisi Shibe, Arie Elias, Salim Dau, Sandra Schonwald, Hugh Maseben...
A cannily droll mix of social commentary and modern fable, Israeli filmmaker Ra'anan Alexandrowicz's debut feature follows the adventures of James, a... Read more