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
The Band's Visit (2007)
7.6/10
Director: Eran Kolirin
Starring: Sasson Gabai, Ronit Elkabetz, Saleh Bakri, Khalifa Natour, Shlomi Avraham, Rubi...
A wryly elegant, slice-of-life comedy in which an Egyptian Ceremonial Police Band, due to play at the opening of an Arab Cultural Centre in Israel, fi... Read more
The Color of Paradise (1999)
8.2/10
Director: Majid Majidi
Starring: Mohsen Ramezani
This beautifully rendered film centers on an 8-year-old blind boy named Mohammad whose poor, widowed father has no interest in raising him. After he's... 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
Lemon Tree (2008)
7.4/10
Director: Eran Riklis
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Doron Tavory, Ali Suliman, Rona Lipaz-Michael, Tarik Kopty
Widow Salma Zidane lives on the Palestinian West Bank, in a small house surrounded by lemon trees that her great grandparents planted. Unfortunately,... Read more
At Five in the Afternoon (2003)
6.9/10
Director: Samira Makhmalbaf
Starring: Agheleh Rezaie, Abdolgani Yousefrazi, Razi Mohebi, Marzieh Amiri
Samira Makhmalbaf's "At Five in the Afternoon" was the first film to be made in Afghanistan following the fall of the Taliban regime. Set in the ruine... Read more
Timbuktu (2014)
7.2/10
Director: Abderrahmane Sissako
Starring: Toulou Kiki, Abel Jafri
We are the guardians of all deeds since we arrived in this territory. So states one of the self-described jihadists who, with his colleagues and som... Read more
The Wind Will Carry Us (1999)
7.6/10
Director: Abbas Kiarostami
A few people arrive from Tehran for a short stay at Siah Dareh, a village in Iranian Kurdistan. The locals do not know why they are there. The strange... Read more
The Insult (L'insulte) (2017)
7.7/10
Starring: Adel Karam, Kamel El Basha, Rita Hayek
A minor incident between a Lebanese Christian and a Palestinian refugee turns into an explosive trial that ends up dividing the two communities. Read more
Ten (2002)
7.5/10
Director: Abbas Kiarostami
Starring: Mania Akbari
Aka "10". A perceptive and revealing portrait of contemporary Iran set in Tehran, "Ten" begins with a beautiful and articulate female driver (Mania Ak... 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