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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

Masai - The Rain Warriors (2004)

6.5/10
Director: Pascal Plisson
Starring: Ngotiek Ole Mako, Paul Nteri Ole Sekenan, Parkasio Ole Muntet, Musurpei Ole Toro...

A group of un-tested Masai warriors sets out to bring back the mane of a mystical lion in hopes of ending the drought that threatens the very existenc... Read more

Men at Work (2006)

6.7/10
Director: Mani Haghighi
Starring: Mahnaz Afshar, Ahmad Hamed, Mahmoud Kalari, Reza Kianian

Four friends returning home from a skiing trip stumble upon a curiously large rock on the side of a mountain. What begins as a lighthearted project to... Read more

Moolaade (2004)

7.7/10
Director: Ousmane Sembene
Starring: Fatoumata Coulibaly, Maimouna Helene Diarra, Salimata Traore, Dominique Zeida

Written and directed by 81-year-old master filmmaker Ousmane Sembene, this incredible film tells the story of four girls desperate to avoid the 'purif... Read more

Mustang (2015)

7.6/10
Director: Deniz Gamze Erguven
Starring: Tugba Sunguroglu, Doga Zeynap Doguslu, Gunes Sensoy, Elit Iscan, Ilayda Akdogan

While it begins in a burst of lyrical exuberance with schoolchildren frolicking in surf, this knockout first feature from Deniz Gamze Ergüven builds i... Read more

My Tehran for Sale (2009)

6.5/10
Director: Granaz Moussavi
Starring: Asha Mehrabi, Amir Chegini, Mobina Karimi, Marzieh Vafamehr

Marzieh is a young female actress living in Tehran. The authorities ban her theatre work and, like many young people in Iran, she is forced to lead a... Read more

Noodle (2007)

7.4/10
Director: Ayelet Menahemi
Starring: Mili Avital, BaoQi Chen

Miri is a flight attendant for Israel's El Al airlines. Beautiful yet plagued with sadness - the result of losing two husbands to Israel's wars - Miri... Read more

Offside (2006)

7.3/10
Director: Jafar Panahi
Starring: Sima Mobarak-Shahi, Shayesteh Irani, Ayda Sadeqi, Golnaz Farmani, Mahnaz Zabihi

In Iran, women are banned from sporting events, but during their country's 2006 bid for the World Cup, a handful of die-hard fans just can't resist se... Read more

Omar (2013)

7.6/10
Director: Hany Abu-Assad
Starring: Adam Bakri, Leem Lubany, Samer Bisharat

Like the Palestinian towns across the West Bank split by high Israeli walls, Omar (Adam Bakri) is a divided man. A baker by trade he must scale the co... Read more

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011)

7.8/10
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Starring: Muhammet Uzuner, Yilmaz Erdogan, Taner Birsel

Winner of the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia" is an engrossing crime drama from the celebrated director of "Cl... Read more

Osama (2003)

7.4/10
Director: Siddiq Barmak
Starring: Marina Golbahari, Arif Herati, Zubaida Sahar

The first feature film from post-Taliban Afghanistan, this award-winning drama is set during the radical Islamic regime's rule. With women forbidden t... Read more